Chasing Storm Clouds
by Fonique2
Summary: My name's Makase Nakao. If you don't know me, that's a shame. I thought my life was okay until I entered squad seven. After that, things got a little whacky. How do I get myself into these situations? Uchiha SasukeXOC
1. Enter, Makase Nakao!

You twitched your hands, trying to jerk them free. Unfortunately, you only succeeded in cutting the tightly bound ropes deeper into your skin. You gritted your teeth together, trying desperately to push your back off of the tree you were bound to. This wasn't fair; there was no need to bind the ropes too tightly!

Just when you were getting ready to get drastic, a familiar figure entered into your peripheral vision. They were coming up from your right, past you towards the entrance doors of the academy building. The exact doors you needed to be through in ten minutes least you miss class. The figure with a mop of brown hair on his head and wearing a gray jacket didn't notice you. Yet.

"Kiba!" you yelled, flailing your unbound legs out in front of you.

Your friend's head perked up at the sound of his name and his eyes immediately scanned the school court yard for the source of the call. It only took a second for his eyes to find yours. They locked, his brown eyes on your violet ones…and there they stayed. The staring contest went on for several seconds before a vein pulsed in your forehead.

"Stop checking me out and get over here!" you yelled.

Kiba slowly, and most likely deliberately, made his way over to you. The grass was still moist with morning dew and several blades of grass now stuck to his traditional, blue ninja sandals. The wicked grin on his face made your eye twitch.

"Do I even need to ask?" he said, humor bouncing in his voice.

"Just get me down!" you demanded, thrusting a leg out in an attempt to kick his shin.

He easily dodged, laughing as he did so. "What are you doing tied to a tree?"

"Don't ask me stupid questions!"

Kiba only shook his head at you but reached to the kunai holster strapped to his right thigh and withdrew a kunai. He quickly sliced through your ropes and stepped back as you practically leaped away from the tree.

"I'm free!" you called triumphantly, pumping your fists into the air.

"Were you making bets again, Nakao?" Kiba asked, eyebrow raised as he turned to make his way to class.

You followed, rubbing at your wrists, muttering an incoherent response.

* * *

When the two of you made it to the classroom, the entire class was there, save for your teacher, Iruka-sensei. Aside from his unusual absence so close to the start of class, it looked like a normal day in your academy class. All the quiet, shy kids like Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino were tucked away in their seats, somehow looking like they could fold in on themselves. The kids who were usually bored in class, looked so even before it started with their heads dug into folded arms or cheeks resting on hands. You immediately picked out Nara Shikamaru, sitting at the top of the stadium-styled seating of the classroom. You hung out with him from time to time, mostly as a buddy to sleep with. When you were as easily bored as yourself, sometimes, sleeping was the only option.

And of course, all of the fan girls were there, hovering around a single section of seats, for the desks were long tables where three people could sit at. They wouldn't sit down until Iruka-sensei came in and forced them to. And when you said fan girls, you meant just about every single female in your class.

Although you couldn't see him, you knew the fan girls were crowded around a single boy. His name was Uchiha Sasuke; top male student in your class and Konoha heartthrob. To the girls in your class, he was their more perfect version of Prince Charming…if Prince Charming was emo.

Uchiha Sasuke was a pretty face with onyx-colored eyes and dark, jet black hair. His bangs framed his face, making his pale skin pop out handsomely; however, the back of his hair was spiked so that it looked like a duck's ass. Everyone had their flaws. But if that flaw wasn't enough, there was his personality…that entire part of him was one big train wreck.

Sasuke rarely spoke a word unless he was called on in class or was insulting someone. And even the latter was a rare occurrence. Sasuke thought he was so superior to everyone else that he felt it a waste of breath to insult someone. You rolled your eyes just at the thought. On top of being a pompous ass, Uchiha Sasuke was cold, moody and possibly homosexual. You hadn't quite figured that one out yet. He never even glanced at any of the females in your class. You were still trying to decipher whether it was because he was homosexual or because all the girls in the class were just that annoying. To his credit, it could easily be either one of those options.

You carefully skirted around the mob of fan girls, trying to make your way down to the empty seats in the front of class. You tried to keep a ten feet radius between you and any fan girl at any given time; you didn't want to catch their psycho.

You and Kiba found two seats beside each other two rows above the bottom of the pit. No sooner had you sat down, placing your backpack on the ground at your feet, that you heard the classroom door above you, slam open. All the fan girls immediately scattered, looking for any available seats. You subconsciously noticed that Haruno Sakura had earned the battle to sit next to Mr. Heartthrob today. You shuddered; you didn't even want to think about her right now, or ever.

All eyes became glued to the staircase as Iruka-sensei stormed down the stairs, dragging something behind him to the bottom of the room. You noticed, with lack of curiosity, that it was a tied-up Uzumaki Naruto. You lacked interest simply because this was a natural occurrence in your classroom. Well, when Naruto actually attended class.

Uzumaki Naruto was a _loud _boy, both in personality and appearance. With blonde hair and sky-blue eyes, he had the potential of looking rather fetching, granted he changed his wardrobe. Naruto's outfit of choice was an orange tracksuit. Orange jacket and orange pants. The most inappropriate clothes for a ninja? Probably. That was actually worse than Sakura's pink hair and pink and red clothing. You wrinkled your nose subconsciously.

Naruto was the class clown who had not a single friend. And not only did he not have friends, nobody even _liked _him. You were sure a good portion of that came from the way he acted. However, there seemed to be a general dislike of the boy all throughout the village. Through your years of living in Konoha, you gathered that, for some reason, Naruto was "bad", but you had no idea why. In your mind, Naruto didn't seem like a bad person, and you didn't dislike him like most kids in your class did. But you thought he seriously needed to stop pulling pranks, skipping class, acting like a complete moron and wearing the color orange.

You watched as Iruka-sensei came to a stop at the bottom of the classroom, facing Naruto. He had already launched into a lecture even as the class watched.

"I'm at the end of my rope, Naruto. You failed the graduation exam last time, and the time before that. You have another chance again tomorrow, Naruto, and you're messing up again!"

"Hmph," Naruto turned his head defiantly away.

The anger exploded over Iruka-sensei's face. "Fine! Because _you _missed it Naruto, the whole class is going to review the transformation jutsu!"

All around you, the classroom erupted in one simultaneous groan. Muttering angry remarks, all the students got to their feet, heading towards the front of the classroom. You followed, falling into line beside Kiba. You would all take your turn, standing in front of Iruka-sensei and transforming into him. The first one up was no other than your favorite person.

"Sakura here, let's do it! Transform!" you watched Sakura's form disappeared in a vision-relieving cloud of smoke. She reappeared as Iruka-sensei, a vast improvement in your opinion. Her transformation was pretty decent and Iruka-sensei checked her off on his clip board with a compliment as she poofed back into herself.

"Yay! I did it!" Sakura cheered for herself, looking behind her at the next person in line, who happened to be Mr. Heartthrob. "Did you see that, Sasuke? Huh?"

You rolled your eyes, feeling bile wanting to climb up your esophagus.

"Next up, Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka-sensei said, looking to the raven-haired boy expectantly.

Sasuke stepped up to Iruka-sensei. Actually, as you watched him, you noticed that the boy more so strutted towards your sensei. You narrowed your eyes, mentally tapping your chin with an index finger. 'He even struts like a duck…interesting discovery. This could mean something.'

Silently, Sasuke moved his fingers into the proper handsigns and reappeared as a perfect transformation of Iruka-sensei. Typical Sasuke, Mr. Perfectionist. Iruka-sensei nodded, deeming his transformation "good" and Sasuke made his way back to his seat, like Sakura had before him.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka-sensei demanded, a lot less pleasant than he had been with Sasuke and Sakura.

Naruto was to your left. He stood in between Yamanka Ino and Nara Shikamaru. This meant that Shikamaru was at the front of the line, followed by Naruto and then Ino. You were on Ino's immediate right. You glanced over as Ino and Shikamaru complained to your blond-haired classmate.

"This is a total waste of time, Naruto," Shikamaru complained irritably, hands dug deep in the pockets of his brown pants.

"We always pay for your screw ups," Ino agreed, her right hand on her hip, her pupil-less, blue eyes focused on Naruto.

You were inclined to agree, although you wouldn't say anything. You were far too polite for that. Okay, that was probably a lie.

"Like I care," was all Naruto said. As Naruto stepped up to Iruka-sensei, you glanced over at Ino.

Yamanka Ino had blonde hair tied up into an extremely high ponytail. It had to be, for the bottom of her ponytail reached to her midback. If she let it loose, it would probably hang to her near ankles. You knew the reason for this. It was commonly believed among all the girls in your class that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. You didn't think he liked girls at all, but to say that would be suicide.

Ino and Sakura were both Sasuke's number one fans. They had liked Sasuke since you were all eight years old. This had made Sakura and Ino into cold-blooded rivals. Sakura thought herself far superior to Ino in every way, even though you knew this was a complete fantasy. And in all fairness, Ino liked Sasuke first.

Although you didn't like the fact that Ino was a Sasuke fan girl, you were able to get along with her. After all, you needed some sort of female acquaintance to hang out with. Sure, there was Hyuuga Hinata, who was probably the only girl besides you who wasn't a fan girl. She was sweet but entirely too shy and seemed incapable of saying anything without stuttering. Ino was louder, by far, and talkative. She was actually pretty smart when it came to shinobi customs and knowledge on other countries, for her family owned the flower shop in town.

To Pinkie's credit, Sakura's best, and probably only good, trait, was her brain. Behind her abnormally large forehead sat a decently sized brain. She whizzed through all your exams and could quote shinobi rules on command. However, that poor brain of hers was probably starving for attention. She hardly ever used that brain for anything except for coming up with new plots to stalk Sasuke. And those weren't even hard! You thought so because Sakura didn't even care if Sasuke knew she was stalking him, so she didn't even need to come up with stealth in her plans.

Perhaps Strawberry Shortcake beat Ino in brains, but Ino beat Sakura hands down in combat. And you meant all kinds of combat. Except for maybe genjutsu. Although Sakura didn't use it, she could see through them. But whoopdie-doo, so could you. But Ino could fight, not as well as you, but at least she could survive longer than five minutes. And she also had a pretty useful kekki genki that allowed her to enter and control other peoples' bodies.

You returned your attention to Naruto as he put his fingers into handsigns. 'This should be good.' Who knew what kind of disaster would appear when the smoke dispersed? Imagine your surprise when Naruto reemerged as a naked female, blonde hair up in pigtails and blowing a kiss at Iruka-sensei. Your eye twitched. At least he had the decency to cover up her private areas. What disturbed your more was that Iruka-sensei was completely bewitched by the jutsu.

Naruto disappeared in a small cloud of smoke, turning back into himself. He held his gut with one hand, laughing hysterically as he pointed at Iruka-sensei with a finger on the other hand. "Haha! I got you with my sexy no jutsu!"

"Cut the stupid tricks!" Iruka-sensei hollered back after he had regained his composure.

You planted your face into your palm. Shikamaru stepped up and you waited to be called to transform into a perfect Iruka-sensei.

"I think that was the most awkward class ever," you told Kiba, hands in the pockets of your olive-green cargos as the two of you walked home.

"I don't know why Naruto can't just be serious for once. All you have to do is show up for class, it's really not that hard," Kiba looked down at you, for you were an inch or two shorter than him.

You shrugged. "I don't know. I think he just wants attention, ya know? I mean, he doesn't have parents right?"

"But neither do you," Kiba pointed out.

The comment didn't even make you flinch. "Yeah but I'm lucky, I have Keitaro."

"Speaking of your brother," Kiba suddenly said, turning his face to you with a pout. "Can you please ask him not to try and light me on fire next time I come knocking on your window?"

You laughed at the memory. "In his defense, knocking at my window is a little strange. You could have come to the door."

"That early in the morning? Remember what happened last time I did _that_?"

You shifted your eyes. "Oh yeah."

"Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow," Kiba announced as the two of you reached a fork in the road. You waved as he turned left, headed home.

You took the right road, which led to a more desolate part of town. Your brother liked it that way; he was a bit paranoid. It didn't bother you, but then again, not many things did.

Arriving home, you shoved the key into the deadbolt lock, jiggled it necessarily and pushed the door open. You were expecting the house to be dark and empty, but were pleasantly surprised to find your older brother, Keitaro, in the kitchen, milling over something on the table when you entered the house.

"Keitaro!" you grinned. You dropped your backpack to the floor with a thud, and made a dash to your brother. You plowed into him, wrapping in a hug. He laughed, ruffling your hair.

"Heeey," you whined, retracting your body from his embrace. "What do I tell you about my hair? It's gorgeous and luscious so don't mess it up."

Keitaro only smiled lovingly at you.

The two of you sat at your small dining room table, empty bowls on the table top in front of you. You were yawning.

"You should head to bed, you're graduating in the morning," Keitaro suggested.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not too worried about it."

"No?"

You snorted. "Please, they're probably going to make me color in a picture or something."

"Nakao," Keitaro was amused.

You waved your hand dismissively. "Besides, I'm more worried about being assigned our teams."

"Why?" Keitaro seemed genuinely confused.

"You don't understand the kids I have in my class, Bro…" you finished off your sentence with a dramatic whisper. "You don't understand…"

"Go to bed," Keitaro snorted in laughter.

You spit your tongue out, chucking a chopstick at the mop of brown hair on his head, but followed his advice.

* * *

"Okay I am **so **ready for this," you announced to Kiba as you sat in class, waiting. You had already taken the written portion of the graduation exam and all that was list was a skill test. Although you didn't know which skill would be tested.

"I couldn't tell," Kiba muttered sarcastically but smiled at you warmly none-the-less.

You were twitching in your seat with impatience. You hoped sitting still wouldn't be the skills test. You would fail. You hated being in one spot for too long. Finally, Iruka-sensei stepped into the front of the classroom.

"Alright, now that that portion is over, all that's left is the skills test. When I call your name, you will enter through this door," Iruka-sensei pointed to a door to his left. "There, I will require you to perform the cloning jutsu."

You were all called in alphabetical order, which meant Kiba got to go before you. You waited impatiently as he emerged from the testing room, a metal-plated headband tied around his forehead. The metal was engraved with the Leaf Village insignia and was attached to blue cloth.

You groaned to yourself as you waited for your turn. You glanced around yourself to the other students left in the classroom. You noticed that Sasuke and Naruto were still in the room, as were Ino and Shikamaru. You drummed your fingers impatiently on the wooden desktop until finally you were called.

"Makase Nakao."

'Finally!' you exasperated in your mind as you made your way down the steps.

The testing room was small and consisted of very little furniture. In the middle of the room was a table, its surface littered with rows of headbands. There were gaps in the rows where students had plucked their headbands.

Sitting at the table was Iruka-sensei and another jounin. His hair was silver and reached to his jawline. He seemed young and smiled handsomely as you stood directly in front of the pair.

"Alright, Nakao, all the other students were able to make at least three clones," Iruka-sensei said.

You nodded. How easy. Pushing your fingers together in the proper handsigns, you squeezed your eyes shut, applied chakra and heard several popping sounds. You opened your eyes to find two clones standing on either side of you. You looked to Iruka-sensei expectantly.

He smiled at you. "Good job, Nakao. You pass. Go ahead and take a headband."

You stepped up to the table, glancing down at the beautiful headbands. Your brother wore his around his forehead, and for years you had yearned to wear one of your own. Your face reflected in the metal of the headbands as you scanned over them. Selecting one at random, you thanked the jounins and exited the room.

As you stepped outside, the sun was beginning to set. You tied your headband around your upper, left arm and looked down at it fondly. "Sweet."


	2. Squad Seven

"Alright, today's the day. Today marks whether my life from here on out will suck or not," you prepped yourself, looking into the mirror that overhung your dresser.

You fixed several strands of hairs and smoothed out your clothes. Your eyes fell on the headband tied to your arm and you smiled.

"Alright, time to go be awesome," you nodded to yourself.

You were leaving a little earlier than normal today in anticipation of the special day. It was orientation day, which meant everyone would be getting to class early. Today you would receive: a speech about your new responsibilities, two other teammates and a jounin whom you would be stuck with for perhaps the rest of your life.

You sighed to yourself. The rest of your life was a really long time, well, in theory. What if your teammates sucked hardcore? You mentally scanned over your classmates. Your thoughts fell on Sakura.

'No!' you cried in your head. 'That can't happen!'

You were still trying to erase that idea from your mind when you reached the academy. You realized that today would be the last day you'd ever be coming back here for a class. A strange sense of nostalgia overtook you as walked down the familiar hallways of the academy building.

When you reached the classroom, you discovered that you had been right. The room was filled with way more students than it normally would be, but a good half of the class was still missing. You knew this because you immediately spotted a navy blue color in the corner of your eye.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting at his desk in his normal, somber position. His elbows were placed on the table top, his fingers laced together. You always thought that would be uncomfortable. But the reason you immediately picked out the Uchiha was because you could actually see him. No fan girls yet. Nice.

What else was interesting, was the person occupying the spot two seats away from Sasuke, for he was sitting next to the wall.

'Naruto?' you thought, watching as Shikamaru stopped to talk to the blonde. 'How in the world did he graduate? I thought he didn't?'

When you discovered you didn't really care, you moved on. Kiba had yet to arrive, so you decided to wander to the left side of the room, where Sasuke and Naruto were sitting. You sat in the row above them, opting for the spot near the wall so you could save a spot for Kiba. You had barely glanced out the window next to you when the sound of running footsteps infiltrated the room.

"I won!"

You mentally groaned. You counted under your breath, reaching three at the exact moment that a flash of pink dashed past your row and stopped at Sasuke's. Naruto attempted to stand up to greet her, for his crush on Sakura was just as apparent as hers was on Sasuke, but Sakura shut him down. And not by doing the normal thing and ignoring him, but she physically pushed the poor boy out of the way and onto the floor.

"Good morning, Sasuke," you tried, pink creeping into her cheeks.

Cheek resting on your right palm, you watched the scene below you. Sasuke merely glanced over at Sakura, his lips pursed together.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" Sakura asked.

'Gosh, her voice is like nails on a chalkboard. '

A flash of purple and suddenly, Ino was beside Sakura, glaring. "Back off, forehead. I'm sitting next to Sasuke.

"I was here first!" Sakura said.

"I walked into the classroom first! Everybody saw it!" Ino insisted.

"Actually, I got here before either of you," another girl walked up. And like the plague, suddenly the row was crowded with fan girls.

"Nu uh! I get to sit next to Sasuke!"

"No, me!"

You watched Sasuke as he just continued to watch the girls. His expression never changed once, revealing nothing. Finally, he closed his eyes and turned his head, returning to his previous position. Shifting your eyes mischievously, you glanced over your shoulder. The doorway to the classroom was empty and there was no sign of Kiba in sight…and you were bored…

Glancing at the fan girls, you slowly got out of your seat. Sitting atop of your desk, you pushed yourself down, landing into the seat next to Sasuke gracefully. He glanced to you with just a hint of surprise in his eyes, but said nothing. You smiled, putting a finger to your lips, indicating that he should stay quiet. Sasuke didn't even roll his eyes and just returned to his favored position.

This, once again, didn't last long. While the fan girls continued to argue amongst themselves, you watched as Naruto picked himself off of the ground, snuck past the girls and climbed onto the desk. You blinked as he squatted, eye level with Sasuke. He was glaring, his teeth gritted in obvious anger. In fact, his nose was practically eskimoing Sasuke's. Sasuke didn't move an inch aside from opening his eyes and frowning, irritated at the blonde.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" you asked, curiously, wondering what kind of trouble you had just gotten yourself into.

The sound of your voice attracted every girl's attention.

"Naruto, what are you doing!?" one of the girls exasperated, appalled.

"Nakao!" screamed Sakura, glaring daggers at you.

You didn't even glanced at her. Instead, you kept your eyes on Naruto and simply held the back of your hand up to Sakura. "Not now, Strawberry Shortcake, we have bigger troubles right at the moment."

'I can practically feel the testosterone pumping into the air.'

"Hey, Naruto, maybe you should get away from Sasuke," you said slowly, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. If you let this carry on, you could very well be sitting in the front row seat of vicious battle. And you knew who would win.

"Nakao," Naruto turned his head to you in aggravated surprise. "You're one of them too!?"

You hissed as though the comment burned. "Never! Look, this is just causing a huge thing…"

'Though it is keeping the fan girls distracted and they haven't tried to gang up on me yet.'

You clambered on top of the table top, dropping down into the seats below. Grabbing Naruto around the waist, you pulled him down, him crying out in protest the entire way. Facing towards Sasuke, though not intentionally, you ran a hand through your dark brown bangs.

"I swear, I sincerely hope you two aren't on the same team."

"Hey! It's not me!" Naruto shot up, punching a fist into the air.

The next set of events played out all too fast for you to comprehend at once. Since Naruto was several inches shorter than you, when he pumped his fist up, it hit you in the upper back. A domino effect kicked in and you fell forward. Luckily, something caught you. Unluckily, you got caught in the face…by Sasuke's face.

Your eyes widened as you found yourself in a lip lock with Mr. Heartthrob. The room went incredibly quiet, all eyes on you. You both quickly pulled away; you screaming and repeatedly rubbing the back of your hand of your lips and Sasuke covering his lips with his, though doing his in a quiet, more dignified manner.

'Sasuke cooties!' you cried out to yourself. Suddenly, a new tension filled the air. Your spine tingled. You knew this feeling.

"I sense bloodlust…" you whispered.

Slowly, you turned your head to find the entire mob of fan girls glaring at you. Sakura was cracking her knuckles. Ino seemed caught between what she should do and looked as though someone had run over her dog. The rest of the fan girls pretty much mirrored Sakura.

"Nakao! You're dead!" Sakura cried.

You took the extra effort to throw your head back to laugh. "What are you going to do, Pinkie? Think at me? Do you even carry kunais in that holster or is it filled with lipstick and eyeliner?"

If Sakura wasn't angry before, she was now. Her entire body was twitching, like she physically couldn't capacitate the anger. Sakura raised a fist, but you were faster. You reached to the belt hanging loosely and diagonally from your hips and grabbed the handles of your daggers on either side of you. You twirled them dangerously as you pulled them out and held them in front of you in your battle stance.

"What is going on here?"

The tension immediately dissipated as everyone in the classroom, for all eyes had been trained on you, turned their attention to the new arrival. It was Iruka-sensei, carrying a clipboard at his side and watching you and the fan girls, confused.

While the girls were caught off guard, you put your daggers away. Iruka-sensei noticed and his gaze bored into you. "Nakao, what is going on here?"

You became acutely aware that every pair of eyes in the classroom were trained on you. You glanced at Sasuke, who was back to being expressionless but was watching you, to Naruto who still seemed to still be in shock, to the fan girls who were glaring angrily.

Irritated, you glared back before looking back to your instructor. "Well, you see Iruka-sensei, it appears I just dashed everyone's dreams and Strawberry Shortcake here-"

"Nakao, she has a name," Iruka-sensei said strictly.

"Yeah, I know, like I was saying, Strawberry Shortcake here got all-"

Iruka-sensei held up a hand, signally that he didn't want to hear anymore. "You know what, never mind. Just, please, everyone take your seats."

You turned your attention back to Sakura and spit your tongue out at her. Pushing some hair out of your face, you decided to move back up to your original spot, where it was trouble free. You wiped at your mouth subconsciously as you did so.

* * *

It ended up to be Sakura who got to sit next to Mr. Heartthrob. Naruto retook his spot to her left. Kiba had finally arrived, promptly taunted you and then paid attention to Iruka-sensei as he faced your entire class, a smile on his face.

"Today, you are all officially ninja. From here on out, you will face difficult trials and hardships, but that's only the beginning. Right now, you are all only genin, which is only the first level. All genin will be placed in a three-man squad, each quad will be led by a jounin- an elite ninja. Since this year we have an even number of students, one squad will have four genin," Iruka-sensei informed.

'A four-man squad? How interesting…'

"Well someone has to be on Sasuke's squad; I wonder who."

You glanced to your right. Next to Kiba sat Shikamaru and Ino after that. Ino was looking down at Sakura, her head held up by the back of her hand; she was smirking.

"I don't know," was all Sakura said.

"We want each squad to have an equal balance of skills and abilities, so that's how we set them up. I will now announce the squads."

As Iruka-sensei read off the members of squad one, the entire classroom came alive with energy. Most everyone weas fidgeting in their seats, waiting eagerly for Iruka-sensei to say their name.

"Squad seven: Uzumaki Naruto…Haruno Sakura…"

Naruto jumped up from his seat, cheering while Sakura hung her head in defeat.

"Uchiha Sasuke…"

This time, Sakura jumped up from her seat cheering while Naruto hung his head.

"…and Makase Nakao."

Your hand, which had been holding your chin up, fell, slapping on the desk. Jaw dropped, you stared at Iruka-sensei in horror. "What!?"

Iruka-sensei ignored your obvious distress and moved on. "Squad eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino."

At that time, Sakura turned around in her seat, smiling slyly at Ino. She held two fingers up in a V, flaunting her lucky accomplishment. Ino growled in anger. "How did _you _get on Sasuke's squad!?"

"What do you see in a guy like that?" Shikamaru asked, looking bored as usual.

"You are so beyond foolish Shikamaru; don't you get it?" Ino said.

"No, I don't get it, because I'm not a girl," Shikamaru responded, probably now feeling sorry he had even said anything.

Ino sighed and turned her head away. "You are so full of yourself. Jealousy is a terrible thing. I'd hate to be on your squad."

"Squad ten: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji."

Shikamaru looked over to Ino with a laugh. "What were you saying?"

"Those are all the squads," Iruka-sensei announced after squad eleven. No sooner had he glanced away from his clipboard when Naruto shot up in his seat, pointing a finger at Sasuke in outrage.

"Iruka-sensei, why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group as a bum like Sasuke!?"

Sakura glared over at Naruto.

"Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students, Naruto," Iruka-sensei put his hands on his hips. "_You _came in dead last. We put the worst student, with the best student."

Naruto slumped in his chair in defeat as the entire class erupted in laughter.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser," Sasuke said without even glancing to Naruto. The boys in the class laughed while the girls all swooned.

"Hey Sensei…"

"Yes Sakura?"

"I mean, if Naruto's going to ask…why am I with _her_?" Sakura looked over her shoulder, shooting you a glare, which you returned.

Iruka-sensei sighed. "Sakura, you had the best intellectual scores in the class, but your skills scores are remarkably low. Nakao's scores are among the highest in the class and was not far behind you in intellect."

"HA!" you smirked. Sakura glared angrily, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest as she returned her attention forward.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat. "After lunch, you will meet your jounin senseis. Until then, class dismissed. Might I suggest you eat lunch with your new teammates to get to know them better."

"Ugggh," you dropped your head on your desk as students began to get up from their seats and file out of the classroom.

"Wow, tough break Nakao," Kiba sympathized, getting to his feet.

Before he could get far, you grabbed onto his jacket with both hands, forcing him to look down at your pleading face. "Please, Kiba, kill me."

"No can do, Nakao," Kiba said, managing to pry your hands away from him. "Look, I'll see you after lunch."

You watched in despair as Kiba met up with Hinata and Shino, who had silently waited in the classroom for him.

'Why did I have to have top scores?' you held your head with both hands. '_Why_?'

* * *

When you finally made your way outside, you chose a spot on the grass beneath a tree. A light breeze came through, rustling the leaves of the trees and moving your brown hair around your face. You sighed, lost in your own self-pity as you opened your bento box. All you wanted was to eat your lunch in misery, but no, that couldn't happen.

You had just broken apart your two chopsticks, ready to grab for a delectable piece of teriyaki chicken, when something blocked out the sun in front of you. You slowly glanced up. Setting your chopsticks across your bento box, you folded your hands together and held them in your lap.

"Hello Princess Bubblegum," you said matter-of-factly. "It's so nice of you to drop by, but you are blocking my sun and now that I'm in a squad with you, that's probably the only sunshine I'll ever enjoy in my now miserable life."

Sakura chose to ignore this. She was already mad and was glaring down at you, hands balled into fists at her sides. "Listen up, _Nakao_. You had better stay away from _my _Sasuke!"

You feigned surprise. "We can own people now!? How much do they usually cost?"

"I'm serious!" Sakura was shaking in rage. How dare you not be intimidated by her!

You sighed, watching Sakura with your violet-shaded eyes, "Okay, I've got two things to say to you, Pinkie. One: I don't want _your _Sasuke, okay? You can have him, whatever, but if one day I find out he's been murdered out of a jealous rage, I'm going to testify against you. Second, you're probably better off _not _coming over here and ruining my lunch with your demands. You see, there's this thing called reverse psychology and by telling me not to do something, my brain is wired to desire doing that thing."

"Nakao!"

"Hey don't blame me!" you held up your hands in defense. "Blame biology!"

Sakura threw her hands up in the air with an aggravated sigh. "You're a freak, you know that!?"

"I was not aware but thanks for informing me," replied dryly. Using your right hand, you then made a shooing motion at the girl.

"I'm serious Nakao. He's **mine**," Sakura said one last time before stalking off.

Picking up your chopsticks, you picked up some chicken and rice, depositing it in your mouth. You sighed.

* * *

"He's late!" Naruto complained again, poking his head into the hallway, scanning it.

"Naruto, just sit down," Sakura ordered irritably.

"I don't want to," Naruto said defiantly. "How come our sensei is the only one that's late? I'm ready to roll!"

"If he was smart, he probably high-tailed it out of Konoha as soon as he got this team," you said, arms crossed over your chest, eyes closed. You were sitting at a desk in the first row, on the opposite end from Sasuke. Sakura was leaning against the desk next to the one you and Sasuke were stationed on.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, shocked.

You opened your eyes, glancing over to Naruto. Sasuke did as well. Naruto was on a footstool, wedging a chalkboard eraser in between the door frame and the door.

"Naruto," Sakura scolded.

"That's what he gets for being late!" Naruto said, jumping down from the footstool.

"Our sensei is a jounin, an elite ninja, you really think he's going to fall for that?" Sasuke asked, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against his hands.

"I have to agree with Sasuke on this one, Naruto. Besides," you glanced back to the door. "If you're going to do something like that, why do an eraser? Can't you at least find something that will hurt him? Like a lead pipe or something."

"Nakao, you're so stupid," Sakura looked over at you.

"Shut up you adolescent boy!" you glared, getting to your feet, leaning over your desk and pointing a finger at the kunoichi.

Sakura gave a cry of anger, raising her fists. "I am **not **flat-chested!"

"Compared to the rest of the adolescent boys I know, you're right. You beat them; congratulations."

"Erg, Nakao-!"

Sakura was cut short when a noise near the door grabbed everyone's attention. The four of you watched as a gloved hand grabbed the side of the door and pushed it open. The entire body walked through the doorway and down came the eraser, popping the person in the head and then dropping harmlessly to the floor.

"Haha, I got him! He totally fell for it!" Naruto laughed.

You gaped at your sensei. '_This_ is a jounin!? He can't even dodge an eraser!'

You analyzed your new teacher carefully. He was wearing the typical jounin inform; blue pants, a black, long-sleeved shirt and a green vest. The jounin had silver hair that defied gravity and stuck up in several different directions. He wore his headband around his forehead, but on his left, the headband angled to cover his left eye. A black cloth covered the rest of his face, only revealing to you a single, beady eye.

"I'm sorry, Sensei! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen!" Sakura immediately began sucking up.

The jounin said nothing, but silently bent over, retrieving the eraser from the floor. He held up, watching it for a moment before he returned it to the chalkboard tray. He then slowly turned back to face your expectant faces.

"How can I put this?" he cupped his chin in his hand, thinking. "My first impression of you guys…you're a bunch of idiots."

You sweatdropped.

* * *

Several minutes later, you found yourself atop the roof of the academy building. You and your teammates sat on a series of three, stone stairs in a diamond formation. Naruto sat on the bottom stair, Sakura on the second to his right, and Sasuke on the second to Naruto's left. You sat on the fourth step between Sakura and Sasuke. Meanwhile, your sensei was leaning against the railing in front of you.

"Okay, why don't we start out by introducing ourselves?" your sensei suggested.

"What do you want to know?" you asked.

Your sensei shrugged. "Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies…things like that."

"Why don't you go first?" Naruto asked. "You know, so we can see how it's supposed to work."

"Me?" your sensei pointed to himself in question. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate…I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future…I never really thought about it. As for hobbies…I have lots of hobbies."

You rested your head on your knees that were bent up to your chest. Here you shook your head before looking up again.

"That was useless…all we really learned was his name," Sakura muttered. For once, you had to agree.

"Okay, your turn. You in the front, you go first."

Naruto smiled, futzing with his headband, moving his up and down on his forehead. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto. I like instant ramen in a cup. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the cup. My hobbies include eating and comparing different kinds of ramen. And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody; somebody important!"

"Alright, next," Kakashi turned his visible eye on Sakura.

She grinned, hands on her bent knees. "I'm Haruno Sakura! What I like…I mean, the person I like is…"

Sakura looked over to Sasuke and squealed. You rolled your eyes.

"…My hobby is…uh…"

"Stalking Sasuke," you coughed out, holding a fist to your lips to make it seem legit.

Sakura chose to ignore you. "And my dream for the future…"

Another squeal.

"Raping Sasuke," you coughed out again.

Sakura whirled around, glaring at you.

"And what do you hate?" Kakashi-sensei asked as she was still turned around, glaring at you.

"Nakao!" she removed her gaze from you to look at Naruto. "And Naruto!"

Poor Naruto's face fell, looking devastated. You only shrugged.

"Okay, you," he nodded his head in your direction.

"I'm Makase Nakao," you announced, pointing an index finger at yourself. "I like hanging out with my best friend and keeping busy. I _would _say I hate Sakura, but she already said that and I don't want to have anything in common with her so I'll just say I hate having to sit still without stimulation. Hobbies? Well, I like to train with my brother. Dreams for the future…"

You paused, thinking hard. What did you want to do with your life? What was your purpose?

Finally, you shrugged. "I don't know. I'll figure that out as I go."

Kakashi-sensei nodded, then turned his attention to the brooding teen to your left. "Last."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything…"

The look on Sakura's face was a Kodak moment.

"…What I have is not a dream…more of an ambition; I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone."

You watched Sasuke closely.

_"Itachi! Itachi can we train today? Please? Nakao and I want to learn that technique!"_

You shook your head, ridding your mind of the memories. You focused on what Sasuke said. 'Restore his clan…? …Does that mean he's _not_ gay?'

"Good, you are each unique and you have your own ideas," Kakashi said after a moment of silence. "We start our first mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission!?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"it's a task that the four of us will do together," Kakashi said, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

"What, what!?" Naruto prodded.

"A survival exercise."

"Huh?" Naruto stopped practically bouncing in his seat and stared at Kakashi.

"I thought we were supposed to go on an actual mission, not do more practice," Sakura said. "We already did this stuff at the academy."

'What an idiot.' Didn't she know your jounin was supposed to train you to be better shinobi?

"This is…a different kind of training," Kakashi said.

"So what kind of training is it then?" Naruto asked.

You really wished Kakashi-sensei would just cut to the chase. Your eyes narrowed as Kakashi-sensei began to chuckle.

"Hey, that's a normal question, what's so funny?" Sakura asked.

"That's the kind of laugh crazy people do when they're about to hack your arm off…" you stated, watching your sensei closely.

"Well, if I tell you guys the answer, you're not going to like it."

"Would you just tell us already?" you exasperated.

"Of the twenty-eight students who just graduated, only nine or possibly ten students will actually be excepted as genin. The others will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass/fail test. The chance that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent."

Your mouth dropped open. No one ever told you _that _part!

"See, I told you, you wouldn't like it," Kakashi-sensei taunted.

"But we worked hard to get here! What was that graduation exam for then!?" Naruto asked.

"Oh that? That was just to select candidates that could possibly become genin…or not. I decide if you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five AM. Bring your ninja gear."

Kakashi-sensei then turned his back to you four, raising an arm in the air, his hand station dismissively. "That is all. Go. Oh, and tomorrow you'd better skip breakfast…unless you want to see it again."

'Ugh…what a pain in the ass.'


	3. Kakashi's Test

You yawned widely, stretching your arms up in the air as you did so. Your black shirt rose up slightly as you did so, revealing your flat abdomen for just a second. You shivered from the cool morning air.

'I officially hate this guy,' you decided bitterly, hugging yourself as you made your way to the designated meeting spot.

It was a quarter to five in the morning and not even the sun was up yet. Its rays were creeping up from behind the horizon, teasing the earth and casting a purple hue into the dark blue sky. By the time you reached the meeting area, your feet were wet with morning dew. This was just a second strike against Kakashi-sensei.

Your other three teammates were there when you arrived. They seemed to have just arrived and were standing in an awkward circle, not looking at one another. Sasuke appeared to be wide awake, staring of into the distant. Sakura and Naruto, on the other hand, appeared to be zombies. Naruto was falling asleep where he stood and Sakura was yawning every several seconds, rubbing at her tired eyes. You joined the circle, standing between Sasuke and Naruto.

-Two Hours Later-

The sun had well risen in the sky by now. There had still been no sign of Kakashi-sensei and your team had grown tired of waiting. By this time, your teammates had migrated away from one another. Sasuke was now leaning against a tree, still wide awake and still staring into space. Sakura was sitting a good ten feet away from him in the grass. She had removed her pink backpack and was no slumped against it, drooling.

You and Naruto had collapsed where you had stood. The two of you were slumped against one another, back to back. This was how you woke up. When your eyes fluttered open, you removed yourself from Naruto; he didn't even notice and went on sleeping.

You sat up straight, rubbing at eyes sleepily. Leisurely, you glanced up at the sky, using the sun to pinpoint the time. If your training meant anything, you'd say it was around seven in the morning. You looked to each teammate in turn before subconsciously running your hand through your hair. Although not quite as long as Sakura's, it reached several inches past your shoulders.

'He's still not here?' You could believe it. Were senseis even _allowed _to be late? What the hell?

You hadn't realized you were watching Sasuke the whole time until suddenly, Sasuke turned his head, looking at you. Your eyes locked.

_"Nakao! Come on, hurry up!"_

_You panted, slowing to a jog. "Sasuke-kuuun, I can't keep up with you."_

_The seven-year-old boy rushed back to you. Grabbing you by the hand, he smiled. "Come on, let's go!"_

_"Where are we going?" you were glowing._

_Sasuke turned his face to you; he seemed so excited. "I want to show you something!"_

Sasuke tore his gaze away and you blinked.

-Three Hours Later-

"Good morning, everyone!"

You slowly slid one eye open, peeking at the world. Kakashi-sensei was walking leisurely up to you group. You yawned, rubbing at one eye with a closed fist. Naruto and Sakura, on the other hand, were immediately on their feet, pointing index fingers at Kakashi. "You're late!"

You weren't watching Kakashi-sensei as you got to your feet, but you could hear the humor in his voice.

"Well you see, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take a new one."

"Liar!" Sakura and Naruto yelled.

Those two had drawn closer to Kakashi-sensei, standing only a couple of feet away from him. You and Sasuke moved closer, standing side-by-side next to the pair. Kakashi-sensei coughed into his hand. "Well, let's get started, shall we?"

You and your team watched as Kakashi walked away from your team, and over to a tree stump several feet away. From his backpack he retrieved a large timer, which he placed on the stump. You watched, confused, as Kakashi-sensei pressed a button twice. He looked over to your group.

"This timer is now set for noon," he reached into his pants pocket and withdrew three, small, silver bells, attached to one another by a red string. Kakashi continued. "Your mission is simple: all you need to do is take these bells from me."

Kakashi clanked the bells together, causing your ears to ring sharply. "If you fail to get a bell by noon, you will get no lunch. In fact, I will tie you to a post and eat my lunch in front of you."

You looked in the direction Kakashi's glove hand was pointing at. Three, large, wooden posts were sticking out of the ground side by side. They had to be about seven feet and just about the width of what your body would be.

A chorus of hungry stomachs erupted around you, including yours. You placed a hand over your stomach. 'So _this_ is why he told us not to eat breakfast.'

You didn't normally eat breakfast anyway, much to Keitaro's dislike. However, it was ten now and it was nearly lunch time. You **did not** skip lunch time. That was a sin.

"Hey, wait a second," Sakura piped up, pointing to the bells still in Kakashi-sensei's hand. "There are four of us, how come there are only three bells?"

"Ah," Kakashi smiled, his voice smug with achievement. "This way at least one of you will be tied to a post and, well, ultimately fail. That one will be sent back to the academy. Which will work out well because a four man-team is more traditional than a five man-team. Then again…" Kakashi stalled. "All four of you could flunk out."

Tension radiated from you and your three teammates. Kakashi continued. "You can use any weapon, including shuriken and kunai. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells." He jingled the bells once more for effect before throwing them into the air and catching them.

"But weapons are too dangerous, Sensei," Sakura said, her voice high-pitched with worry.

"Yeah, especially since you couldn't dodge that eraser!" Naruto laughed.

"I said lead pipe," you muttered so quietly you didn't think any of your teammates actually heard it.

"Class clowns are often the weakest links. You know, the ones with the lowest scores? The losers," Kakashi said matter-of-factly.

You sucked in air sharply at the insult, glancing over at Naruto. Naruto gritted his teeth together in anger. Irrationally, he pulled out a kunai, twirling it around on his index finger before making to rush Kakashi-sensei. However, Naruto never got anywhere. Before he could even lift a foot of the ground, Kakashi-sensei was behind him, grabbing the hand holding the kunai and holding it behind Naruto's head, threatening to dip his own kunai into his skull.

You gasped, taking a step back. Sakura and Sasuke had also jumped back, surprised, for they hadn't even seen a blur. You should be used to this, for your brother was also a jounin. Then again, your brother had never tried to shove your own kunai through your head either.

"Don't be so hasty," Kakashi said calmly, as though he wasn't two seconds away from murder. "I didn't say 'start' yet."

Kakashi-sensei released Naruto, who immediately retreated to your side. Kakashi-sensei took a step back, facing your team. A wrinkle appeared in his mask, indicating that he was smiling. "However, you did come at me with the full intent to kill. I might be starting to like you guys."

Your team smirked, with the exception of you. You rolled your eyes.

"Ready…" Kakashi-sensei prompted. You bent your knees, readying yourself to run. "Go!"

Your team members each took off in different directions. You dashed into the surrounding forestry, immediately scaling up a tree. First tactic: survey the area. Kneeling on a high tree branch, you peered through the green leaves of the clearing below. Kakashi-sensei stood in the same spot, casually glancing around himself. He was probably analyzing your skills.

'Okay, think Nakao. You need to think of a way to catch a jounin off guard.'

As you thought, activity came alive in the clearing below. It completely caught your attention, distracting you from your previous thoughts.

Naruto had approached Kakashi-sensei, standing only ten feet away from him. "Come here and fight me!"

"You're a little…_off_, aren't you?" Kakashi-sensei responded, seemingly confused.

"The only thing off is your haircut!" Naruto retorted before rushing Kakashi-sensei.

You couldn't believe your eyes. 'Is he an idiot!? He can't take on a jounin all by hims-'

An idea finally hit you; you sucked in a breath of air in excitement. 'That's it! There are four of us and one of him! Maybe we can't defeat him, but three of us should be able to keep him occupied while one of us grabs the bells! Maybe we can tackle him or something.'

Just then, another thought came to mind. There were only three bells. Even if you managed to get the bells, you'd have to squabble over who failed. No one was going to volunteer; and you certainly didn't want to.

'This is unfair! Why even make a five-man squad if they knew it couldn't stay that way? No, there's a catch here…'

You shook your head.

'Whatever, we'll address that problem when the time comes. First, we need to get the bells. First plan of action: find my idiot teammates.'

Well, you knew where Naruto was. Your eye twitched as you watched Kakashi-sensei poke Naruto in the behind, sending him flying into a nearby lake; all while still managing to keep his book in his hand. The book he had read while Naruto had feverishly tried to land a hit on him.

'I'm pretty sure Naruto could claim sexual harassment with that…'

And with that, you moved from tree your tree in search of your teammates. Naruto would have to wait until you knew Kakashi-sensei wouldn't catch you. You leapt from tree to tree, carefully scanning your surroundings.

It only took you several minutes to find Sasuke. He was kneeling on a tree branch, watching the clearing below intensely. You were two trees behind him and you stopped there.

"Pssst, Sasuke!" you whispered.

Sasuke ignored you.

"Pssst, Sasuke!" you whispered louder.

Same outcome. Your eye twitched; you knew he could hear you. 'That little asshole's ignoring me!'

Glancing around yourself, you noticed acorns hanging from the tree branches above you. Plucking a few, you turned back to Sasuke. You chucked on at the back of his head. He still didn't turn around. Holding two in your hand, you coarse chakra into your arm and sailed them into the back of his head.

Sasuke whirled around, grabbing at the back of his head with his left hand. Angrily, he mouth, "What?"

Glancing about you cautiously, you leapt over to Sasuke's branch. You kneeled down beside him and noted the irritability on his face.

"Hey, I've got a plan," you whispered.

"Tch," Sasuke replied, rolling his eyes at you.

An anger veins pulse in your forehead. "Hey, I'm brilliant!"

"Go away."

You let out a big breath through your nose in anger. Closing your eyes, you took several calming breaths and returned your gaze to Sasuke. You kept your voice even. "Look, you and I both know we can't beat him individually—don't give me that look; you'll waddle on out there and get the shit kicked out of you. But if the four of us take him on together, I think we can take the bells."

"I don't need you," Sasuke said, turning his attention back to the clearing.

You were about to yell at the boy until movement below caught your eye. Naruto was bending over, reaching to grab something off the ground. It shined in the light, telling you the object was probably a bell.

'What an idiot. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't carelessly drop a bell; it's obviously a trap.'

Sure enough, just as Naruto's fingers brushed the bell, Naruto's ankle was grabbed by a rope, pulling him off his feet. He now dangled upside-down from a tree branch. You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

Kakashi-sensei came into view. He grabbed the bell from the grass and look to Naruto. "Shinobi lesson: if the bait is obvious, don't take it. Get it?"

"Yes. .It!" Naruto yelled angrily, bouncing around as he flailed his arms.

"I'm telling you this because you **don't** get it. You _think _you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it. Get it?"

At that moment, something glinted in the corner of your eyes. You looked to your left at Sasuke as he flung several shuriken at Kakashi-sensei. They plowed into his head, sending him flying to the right. You gasped while, Naruto yelled out, looking to Sasuke.

"What the hell!? That was overkill!"

But Sasuke wasn't paying attention to you. He cursed and jumped out of your tree into another, fleeing like a scared rabbit. Confused, you glanced back to the clearing, only to find a log sitting on the grass with Sasuke's shuriken stuck into its bark. You gasped.

'A replacement jutsu! Shit, and now he knows my position! Dammit Sasuke!'

You fled as fast as you could, rushing through the trees like Sasuke had done. When you felt you were a good distance away, you stopped on a tree branch. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, you gasped, trying to regain your breath.

'Okay! Well, thanks to that stuck up prick, my plan has failed. I don't know if we can take on Kakashi-sensei with just the three of us. Sakura's useless and Naruto's…well…Naruto.'

You had planned on using Naruto to grab the bells, even though he would have helped more fighting with you and Sasuke rather than Sakura. But you didn't trust her to with possession of the bells. With only you and Sakura fighting, aka, you just fighting, there's no way the plan would work now.

You scowled at Sasuke. 'What a dick.'

Just then, a scream echoed through the forest. Your head perked up. 'Sakura? Oh god…I hope she's dead.'

Since you figured this wasn't the case, you decided you should probably go investigate. You found the kunoichi five minutes later. She was lying spread eagle on her back in the middle of the clearing. As you stepped in the clearing, you glanced around confused. Looking at Sakura, she appeared to be completely uninjured. All of her hair was still in place. What in the world happened?

You walked over to Sakura, looking down at her. A look of shock was on her face. You nudged her with your foot. "Sakura, wake up."

When she didn't move, you nudged a little harder. "Wake up, Pinkie."

Nothing. You sighed. What a pain in your ass. You kneeled down beside the girl. Raising your hand, you quickly brought it down, slapping the girl across the face.

She bolted up, breathing heavily. She feverishly glanced about herself, still sitting down. "Sasuke!?"

"No, I'm Nakao but thanks for playing."

At the sound of your voice, Sakura seemed to calm down. She glanced to you and frowned. "Oh. It's you."

"Don't make me hit you," you threatened, getting to your feet. "I could have let you lay here and become food for the hungry chipmunks."

"You're so stupid, Nakao," Sakura glared, also rising to her feet. She began walking, brushing past you. "I'm going to go find Sasuke."

"Sounds like your typical Saturday night," you rolled your eyes.

"Hmph!" was all Sakura said as you continued to walk away. This only meant that you were probably right.

You huffed, frustrated. Now what? Guess you were on your own afterall.

"Guess I could go find Kakashi-sensei," you murmered to yourself.

"No need."

You glanced up to a high tree branch. There squatted Kakashi-sensei, casually resting each wrist on a bent knee.

"Oh…hi, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded in greeting. "What are you doing, Nakao?"

"I don't know," you sighed. "What am I doing with my _life_ for that matter? Absolutely nothing; I'm running around with these idiots."

You gestured at the forest, referring to your teammates.

"You should be nice to your teammates," Kakashi-sensei said, jumping down and standing across from you. He was a good ten feet away.

"I tried," you exasperated. "They're too full of themselves!"

"Oh?"

"Yes," you sighed, waving your hand dismissively. "Let's just get this over with."

"By all means," Kakashi-sensei gestured widely with his hand.

You blinked. Scoffing, you rolled your eyes. 'Seriously? He's gunna make _me _attack first?'

Carefully, watching Kakashi's every move, you reached for your two daggers, located on your loose-hanging belt on either side of you. You held them out in front of you horizontally. Kakashi-sensei watched you expectantly. Still holding your daggers, you brought the tips of your index and middle finger on each hand together. You felt your chakra surge through you. It rushed around your veins, weaving around bones.

'Arashi Kamekaze.'

The strange sensation of your kekki genki came to life over your body. You suddenly felt as light as a feather and as though your skin was as thin as paper. Gently, wind began to rise out of your skin, much like steam does after a hot bath.

Kakashi-sensei watched as your long hair began to gently swirl around you. You did several more handsigns, ending with tiger. You took in a breath of air, held it fort a second, then lightly blew out. A spark flew from your lips and suddenly, fire erupted around you. It began to swirl around in currents, feeding off of the air emanating from your body.

Kakashi-sensei watched you with interest. Realization hit you. 'He just wants to see my jutsu…Fine, I'll show it to him.'

You pushed more chakra into your wind. It latched onto your blades and the flames followed. Fire now ran the length of your blades and flowed fluidly around your body. You rushed Kakashi-sensei, blades held out in front of you.

When you reached Kakashi-sensei, you sliced at him. He slid out of the way. You pushed out chakra and the fire flared out, jumping at Kakashi who hadn't been smart enough to completely jump out of the way. Just as the flames were about to latch onto his body, Kakashi jumped away. You whirled around.

Kakashi-sensei was standing a safe distance away, watching you. Another realization came to you. You pointed a dagger at him accusingly. "Hey, that's not fair! You know all my attacks! You know my brother, don't you!"

"You figured me out," Kakashi smiled.

You gritted your teeth together. How were you supposed to beat someone who was faster and knew your moves? Your brother used a sword, so even your moves with your daggers Kakashi-sensei would probably already know.

You looked to Kakashi-sensei waist. You could see the three bells attached to a belt loop. Three of them. So none of your other teammates had gotten a bell yet.

'Well, here goes nothing…'

Having no other option, you rushed Kakashi-sensei again. He took out a kunai, blocking the dagger in your left hand. With your other dagger, you sliced at Kakashi's waist, attempting to slice through the red string. Your blade didn't even need to touch the strings. Your flames caught the string, burning through it in less than seconds.

Your eyes flashed as the bells began to fall towards the ground. You dove, trying to grab them in your hand, but Kakashi-sensei was faster. Since you were no longer attacking, he ducked down, grabbing the bells.

You hit the ground, rolled immediately several feet away and hopped to your feet. You breathed heavily from the adrenaline coursing through your body.

'Dammit! I almost had them!'

"Very good, Nakao," Kakashi-sensei said, watching you in amusement.

You fumed. 'He's mocking me!'

"I dare say, you might have been closer than the Uchiha in getting the bells."

"Tch, well of course," you said, rolling your eyes.

Humor lit up in Kakashi's beady eye. But just then, the Kakashi you were looking at became clouded by smoke and a log appeared, falling harmlessly to the ground. You sensed movement behind you. You whirled around, gasping.

Your cry echoed through the forest.


	4. Something Called Teamwork

"Stupid…frickin…frackin…"

You muttered incoherent obscenities angrily. You could feel the blood rushing to your head, and you were sure your face was probably already flushed. Hanging upside down, your eyes caught a blue blur moving through the forestry near you. Your eyes lit up as Sasuke rushed into your clearing.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped, glancing over at the sound of your voice. You watched Sasuke's expressions fight with themselves. He looked like he wanted to smirk and twitch at you at the same time. You swung back and forth by your ankle, watching the boy closely. Silence passed between the both of you for a minute before Sasuke turned away from you and began walking away.

"Hey! Hey get back here! Get me down!" you yelled, flailing your arms.

Sasuke did stop and sighed, walking over to you. You were eye level with the Uchiha, although you were upside-down.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Your eye twitched. "Oh you know, I tie myself up like this when I want to get away. What do you think I'm doing!? Stupid Kakashi-sensei got me with my back turned!"

"Sasuke! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's voice echoed through the clearing.

You groaned. "Uggggh, you brought _her_?"

"She's been following me," Sasuke muttered, gritting his teeth together in irritation. You were glad to see you weren't the other one unappreciative of Sakura's existence.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura appeared in your clearing, looking around herself. When she spotted Sasuke, her eyes twinkled in delight. "Sasuke-kun! There you are!"

Sakura ran over, latching herself onto Sasuke. He tried to push her off, clearly aggravated, but she was like adhesive. Sakura then, for the first time, noticed you. Disgust immediately broke out over here face. She let go of Sasuke, staring at him accusingly. "What are you doing with _her_?"

You glared before turning your attention to Sasuke. "Get me out of here so I can kill her!"

Sasuke sighed, annoyed with the both of you. Regardless, silently, he pulled out a kunai from the holster on his right thigh and moved closer to you, slicing the blade through the rope attaching you to the tree branch. Unfortunately, that's where Sasuke's chivalry ended and he stepped backwards, letting you fall to the ground.

"Ouch!" you sat up, rubbing at your back. You glared up at Sasuke but said nothing; he _did _get you down.

Sasuke barely noticed; he was already walking away. Sakura ran after him, stopping a foot or so away. When she spoke, he stopped. "Sasuke-kun, where are you going?"

"It's almost noon; I'm going to go get a bell," Sasuke answered without turning around to look at her, or you in the background.

"Can you grab me one too? You know, since you're at it?" you asked.

Sakura shot a glare over her shoulder at you before looking back to Sasuke's back. "But the bell is going to ring soon…maybe you should just give up and try again next year?"

"No…I have to fulfill my goal," Sasuke said, so quietly you almost couldn't hear it.

"Ummm…I'm gunna go ahead and agree with Mr. Heartthrob on this one," you said, pushing yourself onto your feet.

"No one _asked_ you, Nakao," Sakura pivoted to glare at you.

"And no one _wants_ you, Sakura. It seems we've reached an impasse."

Just then, the sound of Kakashi-sensei's alarm rang through the forest. You cursed along with Sasuke, stamping a foot on the ground. You didn't get a bell. Shit. You sighed and followed Sasuke back to the three posts and stump. Sakura ran to catch up.

* * *

When the three of you arrived back at the rendezvous point, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were already there. Kakashi-sensei was standing in front of the three posts, waiting for your arrival. Naruto was tied to the middle post, bound tightly by rope. Your eye twitched. What had he done now?

Wandering over, Sasuke took a seat on the grass in front of the post to Kakashi-sensei's right. Sakura took a seat in front of the one on his left. You decided to sit in front of Naruto, cross-legged.

"Well, I've decided that none of you will be sent back to the academy," Kakashi-sensei said casually, one hand in his pocket.

Naruto and Sakura immediately cheered. Sasuke said quietly, keeping his gaze on Kakashi-sensei. You did the same. 'But I didn't get a bell…'

In fact, none of you had gotten a bell. You confirmed this by taking a glance at Kakashi-sensei's waist where the bells were now retied. None of this made any sense. Kakashi-sensei didn't seem like the kind of person to reward As for effort.

"No, I think you should just quit being ninja's all together."

Sakura and Naruto fell abruptly silent. You and Sasuke stiffened, your chest filling with apprehension.

"You four have no idea what it means to be a ninja. You're all just snobby, little kids who think they're playing a game. You don't deserve to be ninja."

You bristled, but stayed seated. Sasuke on the other hand, must have been a little more offended. Sasuke was on his feet in a heartbeat. He took out a kunai and rushed Kakashi.

"Sasuke!" you called after him. 'What an idiot!'

Just like before with Naruto, Kakashi-sensei was too quick. In a matter of second, Kakashi had Sasuke pinned against the ground as he sat on his back. He had taken Sasuke's kunai and was now holding it against his throat. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies," Kakashi-sensei ordered.

Sakura gasped. Naruto quickly looked from Sasuke to Sakura, scared she would actually do it. You had the same mindset and were on your feet in an instant, your right hand hovering over a dagger handle. You watched Sakura intently until Kakashi-sensei removed the kunai from Sasuke's neck, spun it around his finger and placed it in his weapons pouch.

"That's what happens on a mission. Someone is taken hostage and you have to make a life or death decision; someone **will** die," Kakashi's tone of voice changed as he continued. He sounds angry. "Why do you think you are put into squads?"

"Is that some kind of trick question?" you asked confused. "We're put into squads so we can go on missions. You don't typically go on missions solo."

"Exactly. And still, none of you figured out the true purpose of this exercise," Kakashi-sensei said.

You scratched your head for second before snapping your fingers. "Oh! You wanted us to work as a team!"

"Now you get it," Kakashi-sensei narrowed his eyes at your group. "It's too late now; but if the four of you had come at me at once, you may have been able to take the bells."

You stamped the ground in aggravation. "Ugh, Sasuke! I **told **you!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Sakura looked to Kakashi. "But there are only three bells. Even if we had gotten them, we'd have to decide who got them and who didn't. That would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up!"

"I purposely pinned you against each other. I wanted to see if you could put the squad ahead of yourselves. A genin should have a natural feel for teamwork, but you-it never even crossed your mind…" Kakashi-sensei whipped his eye over at Sakura, his tone anything but pleasant. "Sakura! You obsessed about Sasuke who was gone, even though Naruto was right in front of you; you wouldn't lift a finger to help him!"

Looking embarrassed, Sakura glanced at the ground.

"Naruto! You do everything on your own; _everything_."

Naruto only continued to watch Kakashi-sensei, making noises in the back of his throat.

"And _you_," Kakashi-sensei pushed Sasuke's face into the ground with his foot, which was atop of his head. "You thought everyone was so far beneath you that they couldn't help you. And when Nakao asked for your help when she was helpless, you almost walked away! And Nakao-"

You cringed, waiting for your lecture.

"-you did more than anyone. You knew from the start that you wouldn't be able to beat me on your own and tried to seek out help. But once Sasuke refused to help, you changed your mind, deciding that Naruto and Sakura would not be enough help to you. You _did _wake up Sakura, but a teammate isn't supposed to hit their other teammate."

You scratched the side of your face, embarrassed while Sakura shot you a glare.

"Of course you need individual skills, but on a mission, the most important thing is teamwork. Every shinobi knows this. On every mission, your life is on the line," Kakashi-sensei removed himself from Sasuke and started walking away from your group.

Your eyes followed Kakashi-sensei. He walked over to a large stone in the center of the clearing. "Have you taken a look at this stone? At the names engraved on it? They are all ninja who are honored as heros in our village."

"That's it! That's it! I've just decided, I'm going to have my name engraved on that stone!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

At that moment, Sasuke got up from the ground and walked back to your group, hands in his pockets. He stood beside you, keeping his gaze focused away.

"They are…a special kind of hero," Kakashi-sensei said carefully, glancing back to Naruto.

"What kind of hero!?" Naruto asked, still just as excited.

Kakashi-sensei was silent for a long moment before answering. "They're all K.I.A."

"Huh? That sounds really cool!" Naruto grinned.

You pivoted to look at him, mouth dry. You knew that stone and what it stood for. Your parents' names were carved into that stone. "It means Killed In Action, Naruto…"

You saw Sasuke glance over at you from the corner of your eye. Naruto's spirits dampened and he grew silent.

"This is a memorial stone," Kakashi-sensei continued. "The names of my closest friends are engraved here."

You glanced down, clenching the hands at your sides into fists. You closed your eyes.

_"I thought you guys were going to stay around for my birthday!" you pouted. "I'm only going to be eight once you know!"_

_Your mother smiled, her dark brown eyes crinkling upwards as she did so. "Sorry Pumpkin, but we have an important investigation the Hokage wants us to go on."_

_"Can't he get someone else?" you whined, crossing your arms over your chest._

_"This is a special mission, Nakao," your father said. "We're the only ones who can go."_

_"I promise, we'll make it up to you when we get home," your mother said, kneeling in front of you._

_"You swear?"_

_"I swear."_

_"Cross your heart and hope to die?"_

_Your mother smiled. "Of course, Pumpkin."_

_She leaned forward, planting a kiss on your forehead. She got to her feet as your father addressed you. "You behave with your brother, alright Kiddo?"_

_"Okay, Dad," you smiled._

_"We'll be back in a couple of days."_

Slowly, you lifted your head back up. Kakashi-sensei still had his back turned, watching the stone. You noticed Sasuke watching you, but you ignored him.

"Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance," Kakashi-sensei finally said, turning around to face you. "It's going to be harder this time. You have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength; but, Naruto doesn't get any."

Naruto made a noise from behind you.

"It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself," Kakashi-sensei said, walking towards your group so that he was only standing a few feet away. "And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail."

Naruto cried out in anguish.

"I make the rules, you follow them. Got it?" Kakashi threatened.

* * *

You nibbled on your rice. Kakashi-sensei had given you, Sasuke and Sakura bento boxes for lunch. You pinched some more rice between your chopsticks, ready to deposit the rice into your mouth, when a sound erupted from next to you.

You glanced over to Naruto. You were sitting to his left, with Sasuke on yours. Sakura sat on the other side. Naruto was still tied to his post, hunger stitched into his face as his stomach grumbled loudly.

"This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days! Weeks!" Naruto insisted defiantly. That was, until his stomach growled loudly again and the hunger pains became evident on his face.

You slowly brought your chopsticks away from your lips, raising an eyebrow at Naruto. "Coming from the boy whose only joy in life is ramen?"

You shook your head and sighed, placing your chopsticks on top of your bento box. You held out your lunch to Naruto, pushing it against his side. "Here."

"What? But you can't do that. You heard what the sensei said," Sakura said, glancing around herself nervously.

"Kakashi-sensei's gone," Sasuke pointed out. "We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective. That hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission."

"Ummm, probably not the wording I would have used but, yes, essentially what Sasuke said. Now here," you pushed your bento box against Naruto's side again.

"But Nakao-" Sakura tried.

"If Nakao doesn't give him her lunch, I'll give him mine. If she fails, we're failing too," Sasuke said, watching the ground.

You blinked, staring at Sasuke in astonishment. Slowly, a smile crept onto your face. Sakura sighed, drawing your attention to her. She held out her box to Naruto.

"Here, just take mine," she said. "I'm on a diet and…I don't need to eat as much as Nakao and Sasuke so just take it."

"Hey!" you glared over at her. 'Is she calling me fat!? I weigh 100 pounds! How is that fat!?'

"Th-thanks…" Naruto said. He began to twitch his arms, which were still bound by the rope. "But uh…I can't take it. I can't move my hands; you're gunna have to feed me."

"Huh!?"

You began to laugh hysterically, pointing a mocking finger at Sakura. "Haha! It pays to be fat!"

"Hurry up," Sasuke said, glancing around himself. "He could be back any minute."

"Ugggh! This is one time only, you hear, Naruto!?" Sakura twitched. Nonetheless, she pinched some rice between her chopsticks and went to put it in Naruto's mouth.

Naruto happily ate the rice as Sakura grimaced. Not even a second later, a large blast hit the ground in front of your group. You gasped, turning your upper body to protect your face and in turn, protecting your food. From the debris, Kakashi-sensei appeared, looking angrier than ever.

"You four broke the rules! I hope you're ready for the punishment!" Kakashi-sensei began to form handsigns. As he did so, the skies above turned dark as storm clouds rolled in from nowhere. The ground was trembling beneath you. You placed your bento box on the ground behind you and turned back to face Kakashi, kneeling in case you'd have to get to your feet to fight.

"But-but-but-but you s-said…" Naruto stuttered in fear.

"Yes?" Kakashi-sensei asked menacingly.

"You said teamwork's the most important thing!" you said, watching Kakashi-sensei fiercely. "You said put the team above yourself! That's what we're doing, isn't it?"

"We're all on this squad and we do this together," Sasuke added.

"Yeah! The four of us are one!" Sakura imputed unnecessarily.

"Yeah! Yeah what they said!" Naruto cried, kicking his legs out.

"The four of you are one? That's your excuse?" Kakashi-sensei leaned in towards you, glaring, hands on his hips.

"That's not an excuse! It's the truth!" you retorted, glaring back just as fiercely.

"You…pass," Kakashi-sensei smiled.

You blinked, immediately letting your guard down. "Huh?"

Naruto and Sakura echoed you.

" ," Kakashi-sensei repeated.

"What do you mean? How'd we pass?" Sakura asked as the storm clouds above gave way to sunny skies.

"You're the first squad who ever succeeded. The others did exactly as I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum; but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

Sakura grinned happily as Sasuke smirked. Naruto nearly teared-up beside you, watching Kakashi-sensei in admiration. "He's…he's kind of cool."

You rolled your eyes but smiled.

"The exercise is over, everyone passes. Squad seven starts their first mission tomorrow," Kakashi-sensei announced.

"Yay!" Sakura cheered.

"I did it!" Naruto laughed. "Yes, I'm a ninja!"

"Let's go home," Kakashi-sensei said, turning his back on your team and walking away.

Sakura and Sasuke quickly got up, following him. You blinked and looked behind you. Grabbing your bento box, you called over to your sensei. "Hey! Can I keep the food!?"


	5. The Beginning of a C-Ranked Adventure

"Sasuke here at point B."

"Sakura here at point C."

"Naruto here at point A."

"Nakao also here at point A."

"Nakao, what are you doing at point A?" Kakashi-sensei's voice crackled through your headset.

"It wasn't my fault it was-"

"I see the target," Sasuke's voice came through the headset, cutting you off. "Fifteen meters."

"Good, move in," Kakashi-sensei ordered. The four of you dashed towards the target.

"I got it!" Naruto informed through your headsets. "I got-AAAH!"

You cringed, grasping for your ears instinctively.

"Is it the target?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Affirmative, it has the ribbon on its left ear," you said through your headset as you bent down, hands on your knees as you examined the target.

"Good, mission 'Find Missing Tohra' is complete," Kakashi-sensei announced.

You, Sasuke and Sakura watched as Naruto struggled on the ground with Tohra. She was a black cat with all her claws. Currently, they were tearing into Naruto's skin as he struggled to keep hold of her.

"I HATE CATS!" Naruto hollered into his headset, blasting all of your ears.

* * *

No sooner had your team entered the Hokage's office when you felt the wooden floorboards quaking beneath you. You looked ahead to see a large woman bounding towards your team. You, who had opted to take the cat after Naruto had scared her half to death, actually felt the cat shudder in your arms.

"My precious Tohra! I was so worried about!" the woman cried, wrenching the cat from your arms. The cat cried out, not having the chance to even bring out her claws at as the woman crushed the poor feline against her large bosom.

Your eye twitched, feeling sorry for the poor cat. You swore you actually saw clumps of black fur fall off of the cat as she was squeezed her to death. You glanced at your teammates' faces, finding that they appeared to be thinking the same thing as you.

"I see you completed your mission," the Hokage commented, sitting behind his large oak desk.

Your team migrated towards him. You opened your mouth to comment smartly, but Kakashi-sensei flicked you in the back of the head before you even got the chance. You grabbed at your head, peering over your shoulder to glare at him.

The Hokage smiled before turning his eyes to the papers scattered over the surface of his desk. "Well, we have many more missions for you. You can babysit the elder's grandson, grocery shop-"

"Don't you have anything besides for lame missions?" Naruto asked, annoyed.

"What!?" Iruka-sensei, who was standing beside the Hokage, exclaimed, shocked and appalled at Naruto's disrespectful outburst.

"All our missions are boring and easy!" Naruto continued, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

"You bakka! All genin start out with D-ranked missions!" Iruka-sensei exasperated, his face flushing red with aggravation.

The Hokage sighed. "Iruka said it perfectly. All genins start out with the easy D-ranked missions. As you rank up to a chuunin you get to work on C and possibly B-ranked missions, they are harder. When you are a jounin you work on A-ranked missions. We set them up like this on-"the Hokage cut himself off as he looked at your group.

"Well last night I had chicken ramen, so tonight I was thinking about miso," Naruto told your group, glancing at your faces. Even Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were listening; Sakura was even nodding seriously.

"Might I suggest beef?" you imputed.

"Would you listen to me!?" the Hokage yelled, his forehead pulsating in anger.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama!" Kakashi-sensei quickly apologized, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. He glared at you and your teammates; one you all ignored.

"All I ever get from you is lectures, old man! I'm not a little kid anymore! I don't play stupid pranks and I don't goof around! I'm a ninja now and I want a ninja mission!" Naruto demanded stubbornly, stepping ahead of you group, staring the Hokage down defiantly.

It was silent for a moment. You glanced at your teammates before twiddling your fingers nervously. You didn't step up by Naruto, but commented meekly. "Ummm…I second that notion?"

Naruto shot an appreciative grin over his shoulder at you.

Iruka-sensei's nostrils flared in outrage. "You bakkas! You-!"

"No, no Iruka; Naruto's trying to show us he's grown up. I guess I can give you guys a C-ranked mission," the Hokage cut Iruka off. Your entire team, especially Kakashi-sensei, dropped your jaws in shock. The Hokage began to rummage through a drawer on his desk, finally producing a scroll. "You will be escorting someone to the Land of Waves."

"Who!? Who!?" Naruto asked, his eyes alit with excitement. He could barely contain himself, bouncing up and down by the heels of his feet. "Is it a lord!? Or a princess!?"

"Bring him in," the Hokage motioned to the door with his hand; a knowing smirk on his face hinting to you that this person was probably not a lord or princess.

Your team pivoted to watch the door to the office open. In stumbled an older man, no younger than fifty, with gray hair and glasses. His wrinkled face was tinted pink and he held in his hand a bottle that, besides for the neck of it, was covered in a paper bag. He hiccupped, grabbing onto the door frame for support as he entered.

You groaned on the inside. 'How terrific, a drunkard.'

"These brats are bringing me home? They don't even look like ninjas," the man slurred, pointing to your group with the neck of his bottle. He hiccupped again. You glared, hands twitching at your side as you restrained your anger. "What are they gunna do, play with me? My name is Tazuna and I need to be protected as I finish the bridge that will change my country's world. I need to be protected, even if it costs you your life. They look like weaklings; especially the short one with the idiot look on their face."

"Haha, who's the short idiotic one?" Naruto laughed, looking at your teammates.

The three of you immediately lined up beside Naruto. Sasuke was the tallest, followed by you, followed immediately by Sakura, leaving Naruto to be the shortest. It took a second for the realization to dawn on the boy.

"What!? I'll kill you!" Naruto yelled, lunging at Tazuna.

"Naruto!" you scolded, quickly grabbing him by the back of his jacket collar before he could get too far. He flailed out, making you stand firmly. "Naruto, you can't kill the mission!"

Your team sweatdropped as they watched you wrestle with your blonde teammate. Tazuna watched, as though he was completely unaware, and took a swing from his bottle.

* * *

You reached home as the sun set below the horizon. You pushed the door open, stumbling inside to find the place completely dark. 'Keitaro must be on a mission.'

You wandered to your room, dropping your backpack onto the floor with a loud thud. Your bedroom was rather plain and kept spotless; though you didn't have much. You didn't keep many knick knacks, leaving the surfaces in your room clear; except for your dresser. On your dresser sat several picture frames.

The newest picture was a group photo of squad seven. Kakashi-sensei was standing in the background, his hands each on a head. His right hand was on Sasuke's, his left on Naruto's. Naruto was looking over, glaring at Sasuke, while Sasuke seemed to not even be paying attention. He was just staring at the camera with a look of near despair on his face (from the team you figured). You and Sakura were in front of them. You were standing directly between the two boys, arms crossed over your chest. You were smiling, but triumphantly. You had forced Sakura out of the way and she was clearly fighting you in the picture. Her smile was strained as she was forced in front of Naruto.

One of your favorite photographs was in a black, wooden frame. It was a shot of you and Kiba from just a year ago. It was taken by Keitaro at your house outside in the yard. It had been sunny that day and you had insisted on having a kunai throwing contest. You were hugging Kiba tightly around the neck, your cheek pressed against his, smiling at the camera. Kiba was looking at you meekly, smiling. His cheeks looked a little pink, but you figured it was the lighting of the photo.

The other photographs, besides for a recent one of you and Keitaro, were older, from when you were a kid. There was a family photograph of your parents, you and Keitaro. Both you and Keitaro had inherited your mother's dark brown hair. But whereas Keitaro had received her chocolate brown eyes, you had received your father's dark violet.

Your parents had both been members of the Makase Clan and had married within the clan. Your mother was daughter to the clan ambassador, making her family important more important in the clan's eyes than your father's. But your father had the desirable iris color trait that you had inherited. Deep violet colored eyes were the norm within your clan and suggested pure-bloodedness.

Then, there was a faded picture that you should have put away years ago, but you still hadn't. The glass was dusty and you had to wipe it clear in order to see the photograph. There were four people in the photograph. You and your brother were in it, him at age twelve and you at seven. The other pair looked nearly identical, but were the same age as you and Keitaro. Uchiha Itachi stood next to your brother, a hand on your brother's shoulder and smiling towards the camera. You and Sasuke were in front of the older boys. You were hugging Sasuke around the neck. He was pouting in the picture, but you could see a smile creeping at the corners.

You glanced between that photograph and your squad photograph. Shaking your head solemnly, you left the pictures and looked into the mirror hanging above your dresser. You tied your hair up into a thick ponytail and changed into a black tank top and yellow shorts. You were just about to find something to eat when you heard the doorbell ring.

Curiously, you wandered over to the front door. You opened it to find Kiba standing on your doorstep.

"Kiba!" you squealed happily, launching yourself at him.

Kiba laughed and gave you a quick hug before you let go. You wandered into the house, Kiba following.

"So what's up, dude?" you asked, headed for your bedroom. "How's your team going?"

"Fine," Kiba replied. "Hinata's a little too passive and shy and Shino is…strange to say the least."

"Well we knew that," you said, not looking over your shoulder at your friend as you walked into your bedroom. You quickly headed for your photographs, putting the one of you and Sasuke face down on the surface. Just as Kiba entered your room, you turned around. "So how's your sensei?"

"Kurenai-sensei?" Kiba sat down on your bed. He had been in your room a million times, enough to make it home. "She's cool. Knows what she's doing."

"Always a plus," you nodded, leaning against your dresser, arms folded over your chest. "What about Hinata's and Shino's powers?"

"Oh, those are okay. Hinata's kekki genki isn't very advanced right now and Shino's is creepy. All the same, I definitely wouldn't mess with him. But what about you? That's actually what I came over to ask about."

"My team?"

"Yeah, you kind of got a bad deal," Kiba gave you a look of sympathy. "Have you killed any of them yet?"

You couldn't help but smile. "No. Actually, it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Even with Sakura?" Kiba asked in surprise.

"Besides for her. She's awful. I kind of want to see her get eaten slowly by a crocodile."

Kiba raised an eyebrow skeptically. "A crocodile?"

"Would _you _want to be eaten by a crocodile?" you pointed seriously at him.

"Uhh…no I guess not."

"Okay then," you nodded, recrossing your arms.

"So what about Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Well actually, Naruto got us a C-ranked mission today," you smiled.

"What! No way!" Kiba's eyes were wide.

"Yeah, so I think I can handle him," you shrugged, still smiling. A C-ranked mission was exciting.

Kiba ran a hand through his brown hair. "Lucky. And Sasuke?"

"What about him?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "I mean, how is he being on your team? He thinks he's so much better than everyone else. Do you absolutely hate his guts?"

"What? No. I don't _hate _Sasuke; but if he got stabbed in the neck I'd probably laugh."

Kiba let out a bark of laughter. "Atta girl."

"But he is strong," you reasoned. "I have to admit, if I didn't have him on my team I'd probably be screwed. Sakura and Naruto…well, they aren't exactly useful in a fight."

Kiba nodded. "Fair enough. Just don't let them get to you okay?"

"Easier said than done," you smiled.

Kiba got up, walked over to you and planted a kiss on the top of your head like he always did. "I gotta go; stay positive."

You smiled and nodded. 'That shouldn't be hard; I've got a C-ranked mission!'

* * *

You yawned loudly, stretching and smacking your lips sleepily. "You know…if all missions are going to start out this early in the morning; I don't think this ninja gig is right for me."

"You're an idiot," Sasuke said, glancing at you.

You stood in between him and Sakura, waiting for Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna to meet you at the village gates. Naruto was squirming with excitement, constantly peeking around for any sign they would be coming. You put your hands on your hips, glaring over at Sasuke.

"They're here! They're here!" Naruto suddenly shouted, causing you to look where he was.

Sure enough, Kakashi-sensei was escorting Tazuna towards the gates. He made a motion with his hands to the guards patrolling the gates and the large doors began to open.

"Yeeeeah! Alright!" Naruto exclaimed, rushing out of the gates. He stopped and turned around, watching your team slowly follow him out of the village. He punched his fists in the air.

"What are you so excited about, Naruto?" Sakura asked, annoyed.

"This is the first time I've been out of the village!" Naruto exclaimed, looking around himself rapidly. "I'm a traveler now!"

"Am I really supposed to trust my life to this punk? He's a joke!" Tazuna said, pointing to Naruto who currently had his back turned.

Naruto whirled around, glaring angrily. "Hey! Never disrespect a ninja! I'm one of the greatest ninja ever and one day, I'm going to be Hokage! Then you'll have to respect me!"

"Hokages are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless," Tazuna replied, taking a swing from his bottle.

"I'll kill you!" Naruto exclaimed, lunging for Tazuna.

"Naruto, no!" you called, faster than the boy. You tackled him to the ground, wrestling him into submission.

"Let me go! I'll show him!" Naruto squirmed beneath you.

You pushed his head into the dirt. "Knock it off!"

The day was beautiful. The weather was warm and the sky was an azure blue. It hadn't rained in days but there wasn't a storm cloud in sight. Naruto was leading the group, practically marching as he led the way. Sakura and Tazuna were behind him and Kakashi behind them. You and Sasuke brought up the rear.

"Hey, Tazuna," Sakura started. "You're from the Land of Waves, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Tazuna confirmed grumpily.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, doesn't the Land of Waves have their own ninja?"

"Well, no. Most countries have a hidden village of ninja, like Konoha, which are independent and not ruled by a government. They are the country's military power, per say. The Land of Waves is a small island and really has no need for their own shinobi. The surrounding water is their protection," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"So we're not going to run into any foreign ninja or anything like that, right?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled. "Not likely."

* * *

"I'm bored!" you finally announced as the journey continued, throwing your arms into the air.

Sakura scoffed and glanced over her shoulder at you. "Really Nakao, can't you act like a proper kunoichi?"

"What!?" you scowled at her.

She glared. "How can a ninja say they're _bored_? We're on a mission, it's our duty and you shouldn't be complaining."

"Hey! I'm not complaining about you am I!?" you glared. You moved towards Sakura in anger until your foot suddenly sunk into the ground. You cried as you lost your balance and fell towards the ground, flailing your arms dramatically about as you did so. Your team winced as they watched you hit the ground, dirt rising up around you.

You twitched, getting to your knees and looking to see what had tripped you. It was a puddle. You pulled your foot out of the water and shook your foot viciously, trying to dislodge the water that was now in your sandal. "Ugggh!"

Sasuke, who was nearest to you, offered a hand. You took it and he pulled you up, moving away from you after he did so. You shook your frazzled hair out of your face before looking at your team. Sakura was smiling at you smugly.

"Watch it, Pinkie! You got off easy! You're lucky that puddle was there!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. You scowled but were forced to start walking, for your team had already returned to moving along. You grumbled, crossing your arms and swearing under your breath as you walked. You were now walking beside Kakashi-sensei, who had started to hang back from the group.

Only a minute after you had started moving again, a disturbance rattled your instincts. You heard the clinking sound of metal chains just as you turned around. You gasped to find two, what appeared to be men, dressed in black. They were wearing mist headbands. They wore special gauntlets on their hands, giving them sharp claws. From their gauntlets they expelled chains into the air, which shot over to Kakashi and wrapped around his body, bounding him tightly.

"Kakashi-sensei!" you cried breathlessly.

You watched in horror as the two ninja pulled on the chains. Kakashi-sensei's body shuttered sickeningly before the chains cut right through him and into tiny pieces. You felt something wet hit your cheek. Kakashi-sensei's blood. You felt like throwing up.

"Got you!"

You whirled around to find the ninjas now directly behind Naruto. He whirled around to find the ninjas throwing their spiked chains out towards him. You gasped and called his name, taking off towards the blonde. You slid in front of him in milliseconds, one of your daggers out. You wrapped the chain around the blade, trying to keep it from touching Naruto.

"Sasuke!" you called out, keeping your eyes on the ninja whose chain you were occupying.

Answering your call, Sasuke whipped a shuriken at the chains. You pulled your dagger out and the kunai brought the chains with it as it nailed itself into a tree. Sasuke sent a kunai immediately after that. The tip sailed into the hole of the shuriken, effectively chaining the ninjas to the tree. Sasuke then landed on top of the ninjas, kicking each in the head.

Unfortunately, the force of the kick knocked the ninjas free of their chains, which became detached from their gauntlets. Wasting no time, the two ninja split up. One headed straight for you and Naruto, for you hadn't moved from your spot protectively in front of him. The other took off for Tazuna and Sakura. Sakura took out a kunai, holding it in front of her. You knew that wasn't going to help. These ninjas had their claws out; claws that looked like they could rip right through your jugular vein.

"Sasuke!" you called. "Get Sakura!"

You weren't looking around, seeing if he had followed your orders, but you dared not drag your attention away from the ninja advancing upon you. You pulled out your other dagger, holding them in an X in front of you. Your heart was racing, the blood pounding in your ears. You felt your body make contact with the ninja. You moved to slash at him, your vision a completely blur, until suddenly, someone interfered.

You gasped as Kakashi stood next to you, holding his arm out to catch the ninja by the throat. The other ninja was caught by Kakashi-sensei's other arm, showing that Sasuke hadn't need to protect Sakura after all. You glanced over him to find him watching Kakashi annoyed.

'Kakashi-sensei…but he…'

You looked back to where you thought Kakashi-sensei had been killed. There on the ground laid pieces of log. You held a hand to your cheek. 'It must have been sap that hit me…'

You put your daggers away as your group migrated around Kakashi-sensei. "Sorry I didn't come earlier, I didn't think you'd freeze up that much."

Kakashi-sensei was talking to Naruto. You glanced over your shoulder at him, fixing your hair as you did so. His expression was a mix of emotions.

"Sasuke, good work, very smooth. Same with you Nakao, way to take charge. And same to you Sakura," Kakashi-sensei smiled beneath his mask.

You smiled until you felt movement behind you. You glanced behind you again to find Naruto shaking. You watched him, eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Hey."

You and Naruto looked to see Sasuke looking at you two.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"You're not hurt are you, Scardy-cat?"

You heard Naruto make a disgruntled noise behind you. Poor Naruto.

"Sasuke, you dick!" you yelled at him, hands balled into fists at your sides. Sasuke turned his gaze on you, uncaring.

You were about to yell at him more until Naruto broke in. He gave an aggravated cry and made to lunge at Sasuke. "Sasuke-!"

"Naruto!" Kakashi-sensei called, stopping Naruto in his tracks. The three of you blinked and looked over. Kakashi continued. "Don't move around. These ninjas have poison in their claws and the more you move around, the quicker the poison will run through your system. It's in your blood and we need to take it out of your system."

You gasped and turned to Naruto. Naruto was holding up his left hand to his face, gazing at it in fear. There were three scratch marks on the back of his hand. Guilt suddenly rushed over you.

"Oh no, Naruto…Naruto I'm so sorry!" you hurried over to him, carefully examining his wound.

"Wh-what for?" Naruto asked.

You couldn't shake the horrible feeling overwhelming you. The feeling of _failure. _Your response came out in a whisper. "I didn't…I didn't protect you…"

Naruto blinked. Kakashi-sensei wandered over to a tree and tied the ninja to the trunk. Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna had moved to stand beside Kakashi-sensei, so Naruto went to. You solemnly followed him.

"These are Chuunin from the Mist Village. Their specialty is relentless attack," Kakashi-sensei said.

"How did you know about our ambush?" one of the enemy ninja asked.

"Because of Nakao."

"Huh?" you glanced up.

"You brought to my attention the puddle when you stepped in it. A puddle one a hot day when it hasn't rained in weeks?"

"Well then why did you leave it to the genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna asked.

"I could have taken them out quicker, but then I would have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was," Kakashi-sensei looked to Tazuna accusingly. "They could have been after us, or you. In your report, you asked for standard protection against robbers and highway men, this is why it was ranked a C-ranked mission. If we had known ninja were after you, we would have classified it a B-rank or higher. Our mission was simply to escort you and protect you while you finished the bridge. We would have staffed differently and charged you for a B-ranked mission had we known. Obviously you have your reasons, but lying to us is unacceptable. We are now beyond the scope of our mission."

Tazuna was looking down at the ground, his face hidden by the shadow his hat was making.

"We're genin," Sakura piped up. "This mission is too advanced for us. We should turn back."

You glanced over to Sakura. Normally, you would have said something to her and told her to shut up. Just because this mission was too advanced for her, didn't mean it was too advanced for you. But…you looked over to Naruto's hand. You squeezed your eyes shut in anger at yourself. Clearly, this was too advanced for you.

"Besides, Naruto needs treatment right away to get the poison out. In our village, we can get him to a doctor and get the poison out," Sakura continued.

"Naruto's hand could be a problem," Kakashi-sensei agreed. "I guess we should go back to the village."

"No!" Naruto called out.

Everyone turned their attention to Naruto. Your eyes widened as Naruto took out a kunai and drove it through his hand. Blood splattered out, ran down his hand and dripped onto the dirt ground. Naruto cringed in pain for a minute before he looked each of you in the eye. "This mission is still on!"

"Uh…Naruto, it's really noble how you expelled the poison like that but…if you lose any more poison…you're going to die," Kakashi-sensei pointed out.

Naruto stared for a minute before freaking out. "No! I don't wanna die!"

You shook your head as Naruto proceeded to pacing frantically in circle as Kakashi-sensei wandered over with a roll of bandages. Sakura also headed over to lecture him about something. You watched from a distant, solemnly. 'This is my fault…'

"Nakao."

"What do you want?" you turned to look at Sasuke, irritated.

Sasuke ignored your hostility and pointed to your right arm. You looked down to find three, deep scratches across your upper arm. So much adrenaline had been pumping through your system you didn't even notice you had gotten hurt. Yours were much deeper and larger than Naruto's, meaning that you had protected him after all, even if not completely.

You glanced over to Naruto who was getting his hand bandaged. You looked back to your wound. You needed to expel the poison, but you didn't want to drive a kunai into your skin. Sasuke must have noticed the conflict on your face because he moved closer to you. You looked up at him uncertainly.

"Give me your arm," Sasuke said, holding his hand out.

You grabbed at your arm defensively. "No!"

"If we don't get rid of the poison, you'll either die, or call the mission off," Sasuke told you, staring directly into your eyes.

You bit your lip. After a moment you sighed and held your arm out to him. Sasuke took it carefully, pulling out a kunai. You quickly shut your eyes, moving your head away. Sasuke didn't count to three and suddenly, pain exploded in your arm. You made a scream in the back of your throat, but clenched your teeth together to muffle it. Your left hand grabbed at your pants, clutching the fabric tightly.

After several moments, you slowly looked over to your arm. It was bleeding steadily as Sasuke now pressed the flat of his kunai against the wound, trying to rush the tainted blood out.

"Is it almost done?" you asked meekly.

Sasuke looked to you again. "Don't be such a baby."

_"Owww!" you cried, laying face down in the dirt._

_Sasuke quickly ran over to you, kneeling down beside you. "Are you okay?"_

_You got to your knees, holding your stomach. You whimpered, glancing down. Several thorns were sticking out of your skin. Sasuke looked at them concerned._

_"Sasuke-kun, they hurt!" you turned your eyes to him. You weren't crying, but the pain was explosive over your tiny abdomen._

_"Don't be such a baby," Sasuke scolded you, pulling out the thorns one by one._

You watched Sasuke as he removed the kunai and proceeded to wrap your wound.

"Thanks…" you muttered when he let your arm go. 'Damn, Mr. Heartthrob saved my life. This is going to come back to haunt me.'

"Okay everyone, let's get moving!" Kakashi-sensei announced, drawing your attention.

You glanced over at Sasuke. He glanced at you then moved over towards the group. You jogged to catch up.


	6. A Deadly Opponent

"The bridge isn't far now."

Your team currently resided in a small, wooden boat. You were traveling over the large expanse of water that led to the Land of Waves. You were sitting across from Sasuke in the back of the boat. You had one knee drawn up to your chest, your right wrist lazily leaning on it. Sakura sat to your left. In front of her sat Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna, and Naruto was up front, staring out front. Tazuna's friend was behind you, rowing the boat. When he spoke you glanced over your shoulder to see him. You managed to do so, but you couldn't make out any details on his face.

'This fog is so thick…you can't see a thing…'

Minutes later, through the fog, a shadow loomed over the boat. You all glanced up, peering through the mist. The structure was so impressive it could even be seen through the thick fog. It was a large bridge, the biggest one you had ever seen. It was clearly not completed yet, and there was no activity going on. In fact, the whole thing was eerily dead.

"Woah!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, making you jump, startled. "It's huge!"

"Hey! Quiet!" Tazuna's friend whispered harshly. "What did I tell you about making noise? Why do you think I'm rowing instead of using the engine? We're using the mist as a cover so we're not seen."

'Seen from what?' you wondered.

Naruto gasped, realizing his mistake. He promptly slapped his hands over his mouth. You sighed at the boy. 'Because that's gunna help now…'

"Tazuna, before we reach the peer, I want to ask you something," Kakashi-sensei looked at Tazuna seriously, attracting your attention, along with your teammates'. "There are men after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore."

Your team watched Tazuna expectantly until he began to speak. At first, he stared at the wooden floor of the boat, but slowly he looked up to meet your gazes. "I guess I have no other option but to tell you…No, I w_ant _you to know the truth. Like you said, this is past the original scope of the mission. The person who is after my life is a very short man who casts a very large and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" Kakashi-sensei echoed. "Who is it?"

"You know him, at least, I know you've heard his name before. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet, Gatoh."

"Gatoh? Of Gatoh Transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him," Kakashi-sensei's eye widened in surprise.

"Wait…who? I've never heard of him," you glanced at your teammates. They shook your head, signaling that they had never heard of this man either.

"He's a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true. But beneath the surface, with the same ruthlessness he uses to take over businesses and nations, he sells drugs and contraband; using gangs and ninja. It was one year ago when Gatoh first set his eyes on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take over our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply…disappeared…" Tazuna explained.

You listened intently, eyes never leaving the older man. He had returned his gaze to the floorboards.

"In an island nation, a man who controls the sea controls everything; finance, government, our very lives! But there's one thing he fears…the bridge. When it is completed, it will join us to the land and it will break his control. I am the master bridge builder."

"So that's it…since you're in charge of the bridge, you're standing in this gangster's way," Sakura clarified, hand on her chin in thought.

"So those guys in the forest…they were working for Gatoh," you glanced at Sasuke who nodded in agreement.

"I don't understand. If you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you, why didn't you tell us?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Because…the Land of Waves is a small and poverish nation. Even our nobles have very little money. The common people who are helping build this bridge can't afford to pay for an A, or B-ranked mission; it's too expensive. If you end this mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home. But…don't feel bad about that. Though…my poor little grandson will cry out, wanting his granddad. And my daughter will probably condemn Konoha and live out her life in sorrow…but really, don't blame yourselves."

Your eye twitched. 'This old geezer is trying to guilt trip us!'

Your whole team glanced at one another. Kakashi-sensei scratched his head for a moment before turning to Tazuna. "Well, I guess we have no option; we'll have to keep guarding you."

You sighed. 'Curse the honorable shinobi code…'

"Oh…I'm very grateful," Tazuna smiled innocently.

"We're approaching the shore," Tazuna's friend cut in, grabbing everyone's attention.

Your small boat passed through a tunnel beneath the bridge. What appeared when you passed through to the other side, made you gasp. The mist was completely gone, like you had traveled into a whole new world.

The sky was a beautiful blue and the water was nearly the same blue, still and calm. Forestry stuck up from beneath the water here and there. The shores were aligned by small and modest boat houses. Tazuna's friend pulled up to shore and your team plus Tazuna unboarded.

You glanced back to the boat as Tazuna's friend spoke to him. "This is as far as I go. Good luck."

"Thank you for taking such a risk," Tazuna acknowledged.

"Just be careful," his friend replied before starting the boat's engine and moving away from shore.

"Alright, take me home," Tazuna turned to your group. "And I mean, get me there in one piece."

"Sure things, Gramps!" you saluted. Kakashi-sensei popped you in the back of the head. You glared at him, rubbing at the spot.

The six of you moved along. The path you took was a quiet dirt road, surrounded by lush forestry on either side. Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna were at the back of the group, you and Naruto up front, Sakura and Sasuke in the middle.

"Hey Tazuna, how serious were you about being assassinated before you got-" you cut yourself off when someone walked up beside you.

You stared at Sasuke funny as he walked on your right side, hands dug in the pockets of his shorts like usual. Naruto noticed immediately and glared past you to the boy. You sighed heavily. 'I sense an overwhelming amount of testosterone in the air…'

Seconds later, Naruto ran ahead several feet before stopping, searching around rapidly. Suddenly, the boy brought out a kunai and threw it into the forestry on your right. "Over there!"

Your entire group jumped in surprise, save you and Sasuke. Your eye twitched, irritated. "Naruto, what the hell was that?"

"Oh, it was just a mouse," Naruto stood straight, running a hand through his blonde locks, acting cool.

"Naruto, you idiot," you closed your eyes to calm your impatience.

"You're so obvious it's embarrassing!" Sakura yelled.

"Naruto, those are kunais! They're dangerous weapons; do not use them so carelessly," Kakashi-sensei tried to inform the boy.

"Stop trying to scare me you little dwarf!" Tazuna yelled, a vein pulsing in his neck.

"Hey, is someone hiding over there? No wait, over there!" Naruto scurried here and there, seemingly peering through the brush. "No wait, over there!"

Naruto turned, throwing a kunai into the bushes.

"Knock it off, Naruto!" Sakura lectured, moving forward to aim a punch at the back of his head.

"But Sakura," Naruto whined. "I really did sense something."

"Yeah right, Naruto!" Sakura scoffed, hands on her hips.

"No…he really did," you muttered, moving towards the bushes. Kakashi-sensei was following at your heels.

You pulled apart a large bush in front of you. On the ground, against a thin tree trunk, was a white rabbit. Naruto's kunai was sticking into the bark of the tree directly over the rabbit's head. The poor thing was so frightened it was frozen where it stood.

"Look what you did, Naruto!" Sakura hollered over her shoulder, having followed you to investigate.

Naruto immediately ran up beside you, falling to his knees and scooping the bunny up into his arms. He cradled it against his cheek. "I'm sorry, Mr. Rabbit!"

You plucked Naruto's kunai from the tree as you got to your feet. You glanced down at the rabbit. 'That's weird…that's a snow rabbit. What's it doing here? Did someone lose their pet?'

"Look out!" Kakashi-sensei suddenly yelled.

"Huh?" you glanced up to find a large object rapidly spinning towards your team, specifically Tazuna. From the looks of it, the object was made of metal and looked like it would decapitate you if you didn't get out of the way.

As everyone dropped to the ground, you rushed at Tazuna, knocking him and you to the ground just as the object whizzed past your heads. Breathing heavily, you hopped to your feet, leaving Tazuna to get up on his own. You looked behind you and up.

The object had been a large sword, whose height was longer than your body and the width at least the same size as yours. It was now stuck into bark, high in a tree. Now, a person was standing on the long handle, their back to you but their face turned to glare down at your group.

It was man who was tall and had noticeably large muscles. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only pants and cow-skinned leg warmers and cow-skinned arm guards, much like the ones Sasuke wore. His entire lower face, starting at the bridge of his nose, was wrapped in bandages. A Mist Village headband was tied sideways around his forehead, spiking up his black hair.

"Well, well, if it isn't the rogue ninja Momochi Zabuza from the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi-sensei said casually, stepping forward, like he was running into an old friend at the grocery store.

'Rogue ninja…they're dangerous!' you thought in alarm. 'They're usually S-ranked criminals that even their former villages cannot track down and kill!'

From behind you, Naruto ran forward towards the tree. You held out your hand to stop him, but couldn't quite reach the boy. In any case, Kakashi-sensei held out an arm, cutting off Naruto's path.

"Naruto, stay back. This guy is on a whole other level. If it's him we're facing…I might need this," Kakashi-sensei reached to pull back the headband covering his eye.

Your mouth opened slightly. 'Wh-what is he talking about?'

"Kakashi…the Sharingan user, did I get that right?" Zabuza asked, peering down at Kakashi-sensei.

You gasped as Sasuke tensed up from your right. You glanced from him, who was staring at Kakashi-sensei in shock, to Kakashi-sensei. 'The Sharingan is the kekki genki of the Uchiha Clan. How does Kakashi-sensei have it!?'

"You're gunna have to hand over the old man," Zabuza said like it was a normal business deal.

"Quick, swastika formation, protect Tazuna," Kakashi-sensei order, not looking back at the five of you. "And stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, now it's time to use it."

You watched in awe as Kakashi-sensei lifted up his headband. His left eye was, at first, closed. And old scar ran over it. When he opened his eye, it was a deep crimson with three, black commas swirling around where the pupil should go, although there was no pupil. You sucked in a breath of air. 'Sharingan…'

You glanced over to Sasuke. He was staring at Kakashi-sensei with a mix of utter bewilderment and accusation. Sasuke himself didn't have the Sharingan, but you had seen an Uchiha with it before.

"Guess I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honor," Zabuza turned around on his sword handle so that his entire front was now facing your group.

"Everyone keeps saying Sharingan; what is it!?" Naruto asked.

"A rare power that resides in the eyes," Sasuke said, causing you to glance over at him. He was staring out into the distance at nothing in particular. "The user of this visual jutsu, or doujutsu, can immediately see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu or ninjutsu, and reflect the attack back on the attacker. Sharingan is a special, rare form of doujutsu…However, there's more to it than that. A lot more."

"Correct, but you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail," Zabuza said.

You gasped as, suddenly, the clear day around you became shrouded in mist. You were immediately uncomfortable when it reflected the same mist you had encountered earlier; thick and hard to see through.

"You know, I am supposed to assassinate you on sight. You're listed in my Bingo book as the ninja who copied over one thousand jutsus; Kakashi, the Copy Ninja," Zabuza's voice rang through the area, but you could no longer see him.

"Woah…" you whispered before glancing over at Sasuke, or, trying to. You could just barely make out his outline in the mist, even though he was only standing five feet away from you. If your strained your eyes, you found you could see a little better.

"Now, enough talking, I need to exterminate the old man," Zabuza said, now crouching on his sword handle.

You and your teammates leapt immediately into action. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura all stood in front of Tazuna in a line. Although, Sakura and Naruto, who were both on the ends, were turned in their perspective directions, although they were not standing directly at Tazuna's sides. You were the only one standing behind Tazuna, a dagger in each hand held in front of you in an X. You felt isolated and bare as the thick fog rolled around you, raising goose bumps on your skin. Kakashi-sensei remained where he was, standing in front of your group.

"So I'll have to take care of you first Kakashi? So be it…" Zabuza detached his large blade from the bark with ease and disappeared. He reappeared a moment later to your right. He was standing on top of the water of the large lake next to you.

"He's standing on the water!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Thank you Sakura for pointing out the obvious," you tried to glance over at her, but found you could not. If she glared at you, you had no idea.

Zabuza had one hand performing jutsus right in front of his face. His other hand mirrored, except was raised vertically over his head. A vortex of water was beginning to swirl around him.

'I can sense his chakra from here…it's so powerful!' you swallowed against your parched throat.

"Ninja art: Hidden Mist Jutsu," Zabuza said before he seemingly, slowly, dissolved into the mist around you. You tensed up.

The area was eerily quiet for a moment, until Kakashi-sensei moved a couple of feet towards the lake. His sandals made noise against the dirt.

"Sensei…" Sakura said uncertainly.

"It's okay, he'll come after me first," Kakashi-sensei assured.

"Are you sure?" you asked uncertainly, not daring to crane your neck to peer past Tazuna and to your teacher.

"But…who is he?" Sakura asked. You rolled your eyes. Hadn't you just gone through introductions? She was smart as the day was wide.

"Momochi Zabuza, the ex-leader of the Mist Village Assassination Unit. He's the master of the Silent Killing Technique," Kakashi-sensei elaborated.

"How lovely," you muttered sarcastically.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant-without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast that the Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so **don't **lower your guard," Kakashi-sensei warned. "But, if we fail, we only lose our lives."

"Thanks, Sensei, I'm so comforted," you glared over your shoulder.

"The mist keeps getting thicker," Naruto noticed, and indeed, he was right. In a matter of seconds, the mist became so thick you couldn't even see Kakashi-sensei standing maybe not even ten feet in front of your group.

"Sensei!" Sakura called out worriedly.

"Eight points," Zabuza's voice suddenly rang through the area. You couldn't pinpoint his location, it was like his voice was the mist itself. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney and heart. Which vital area would you like to get struck at?"

Your heart was pounding in your throat. Suddenly, a power ripped through the mist, blasting your group with a gust of wind and clearing the area in front of your group. Unfortunately, it did nothing for your train of sight, since you were looking in the opposite direction.

'Is that…Kakashi-sensei's chakra!?' you wondered. 'It's incredibly strong!'

"Sasuke," Kakashi-sensei suddenly said sharply. "Calm down, I'll protect you with my life. All of you. I promise."

You blinked. 'Is Sasuke really freaking out over there?'

"Sasuke, chillax dude! I got your back," you said, pushing humor into your voice that you didn't actually feel.

"Good spirits, Nakao," Kakashi-sensei, sounding as though he was attempting to be cheerful, but was failing miserably. His focus was too intent on his intent to kill.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Zabuza's voice was so close…

You gasped. In an instant, Zabuza had positioned himself between your three teammates and you and Tazuna. Your eyes widened, looking over your shoulder as, as if in slow motion, Zabuza brought his sword up to slash through you all.

"I've got Tazuna!" you shouted without even thinking about your actions.

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto jumped out of the way. You grabbed Tazuna around the waist, careful not to cut him with your daggers as you did so, and moved away as you felt the breeze caused by Zabuza's sword. Just as you leapt away, Kakashi-sensei rushed over, planting a kunai through Zabuza's abdomen.

You breathed heavily, but did not relax when water came pouring from Zabuza's wound. A water clone. You gasped, when Zabuza reappeared.

"Sensei, behind you!" you cried. You watched in horror as Kakashi-sensei turned to move around, but it was too late.

"Die!" Zabuza yelled as he slashed his blade horizontally through Kakashi-sensei's body.

Your pulse was beating rapidly, making the sound around hum, like you were listening to static. But as Kakashi-sensei tore apart, his image turned into water, and it splashed harmlessly to the ground.

'Amazing!' you thought in astonishment. 'He already copied Zabuza's jutsu and used it!'

"It's over," Kakashi-sensei said, now behind Zabuza and holding a kunai to his neck.

You watched in astonishment, still standing guard in front of Tazuna. Your daggers were resting at your sides in either hand. You heard Naruto cheer somewhere in front of you, and Sakura's soft laugh. Then, you heard Zabuza's laugh.

"You really think so? You don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation; I'll never be defeated by a mere copy-cat ninja like you," Zabuza chucked evily again. "You are full of surprises though. You had your clone make that little speech while you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make my move. Nice try, but I'm not that easy to fool."

You gasped as Zabuza suddenly appeared directly behind Kakashi-sensei; so close they were almost touching. The Zabuza in front of Kakashi-sensei turned to water and splashed onto the ground at Kakashi-sensei's feet.

"Kakashi-sensei!" you screamed as Zabuza slashed his sword at Kakashi-sensei's neck.

Kakashi ducked, the sword just grazing the tips of his silver hair. However, Zabuza was quick and, using his sword as leverage, Zabuza spun around to gain momentum and kicked Kakashi-sensei square in the chest when he had turned to try and defend himself. You watched with wide eyes as Kakashi-sensei was kicked clear across the clearing and into the lake. Zabuza immediately followed, summersaulting in the air and diving into the lake after Kakashi-sensei.

"You guys, regroup!" you said quickly, tugging Tazuna by the wrist.

The five of you met together, all watching the lake in anticipation. Kakashi-sensei bobbed to the surface, seemingly examining the water. Only a second later, Zabuza was behind Kakashi-sensei, standing on the water again. He performed several handsigns and suddenly, a large orb of water encased Kakashi-sensei, trapping him.

"This is my Hydro Prison. It's made of water and stronger than steel," Zabuza gloated. He had to keep his right arm in the water to hold the prison together, but Kakashi-sensei was completely trapped. "It's hard to fight when you can't move; so much for the Great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later but first, your little brats will need to be eliminated."

You gritted your teeth together as a form began to rise from the water. A Zabuza water clone appeared, looking just as big and menacing as the real one.

"You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja?" Zabuza's clone sneered. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't even phase you, then you may be called a ninja. When you have become so deadly you've become listed in my Bingo book, then you may have earned the title of ninja."

"To hell with your Bingo book!" you called out, but your hands holding your blades were shaking.

"Nakao!" Sakura whispered in fearful warning.

You turned your head to look at the kunoichi; that was your mistake. You felt a presence and turned your attention back just in time to see Zabuza's clone standing in front of you. You gasped as it raised it's sword, swinging it at your neck.


	7. Doubts

You could feel the breeze that the clone's gigantic sword was making. You could smell the metal of the blade. Your hearing was turned off to the world. You thought you heard your teammates' cries, but they were muffled, their individual tones lost to the ambiance. You ducked and the blade skimmed over the top of your head, cutting off several pieces of dark brown hair that blew into the miniscule breeze.

Your breathing shallowed, your heart thumping so loudly in your chest, you could hear it. Gripping the handles of your daggers tightly, you lunged forward, moving to plow your blades right into the clone's abdomen. But the clone was too quick. It side stepped you in a blur and the next series events took your mind a delayed several seconds to comprehend.

The clone brought back its fist and rammed it into the side of your face. Your body immediately flew to the left, landing at least ten feet away from the rest of your team. When you hit the ground, rolling several more feet, you cried out in pain.

You laid on your stomach, face down in the dirt. Twitching your fingers, digging them into the dirt, you tried your best to raise your head. Your vision was clouded with black and white spots, blurring your vision. At first, the scene in front of you appeared to be moving without noise, but seconds later, like someone had suddenly found the volume button and jacked it up, your hearing came back.

"Nakao!" you heard Naruto and Sakura screamed.

Your head fell back down to the earth, feeling too heavy to lift. It was pounding and you could still see spots in the corner of your eyes. Something wet was trickling down your face. Seconds later, you lifted your head again, only to find the clone headed straight towards your body on the ground. It was walking leisurely, mocking you; showing you it knew not to be afraid of you, that you could do nothing.

'No!' you screamed at yourself. 'I'm stronger than this!'

You tried to push yourself up, but your body was protesting. It felt like going to sleep. That was the worst thing about head injuries; just one could knock you out of a fight.

'No! I refuse to give in like this!'

"Don't fight him! Take the bridge builder and run!" you could hear Kakashi-sensei call from his water prison. "He's using all his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone, but his clone can't go too far from its original body, now run!"

You finally got to your knees, your palms against the ground. Your shaky arms held you up, your hair falling like curtains around your face. 'So he'll just kill you, then come after us, and kill us…Our only option is rescuing you…'

You pushed yourself off your hands and rested solely on your knees. You looked up to find the clone nearly upon you. Its face was covered in bandages, so you couldn't be sure, but you could have sworn it was smirking devilishly.

A blur from behind the clone caught your attention. The clone sensed it too and turned around, removing his focus from you. Sasuke was running at the clone, throwing shuriken as he advanced.

"Sasuke, no!" you practically screamed, but the Uchiha didn't listen.

Sasuke jumped up, coming down at the clone with a kunai in his hand. With no effort, the clone simply reached up, catching Sasuke by the throat. Sasuke cried out as the clone constricted its hold on his neck.

"Sasuke!" you called again. You gritted your teeth together. 'That idiot!'

You scrambled to your feet. You felt incredibly dizzy from the sudden movement, but you tried to focus your mind on the task at hand: rescue the idiot Uchiha.

With a cry of effort, you threw yourself on the clones back, wrapping one arm around its beefy neck. The clone called out in aggravation and immediately began moving, making it nearly impossible for you to dig a weapon into him while still being able to hold on.

The clone threw Sasuke away like a ragdoll, and he flew just like you had, smacking onto the ground and rolling a bit. The clone now used his free hand, and his other hand, to grab you off of his back. He pulled you over his shoulders, slamming you into the ground right in front of him.

You hit the hard ground on your spine, just below your cervical vertebrae. A couple more inches and you would have severed your neck. You rolled over once, finally coming to rest on your stomach again. You immediately cringed in pain, instinctually curling up in on yourself. Through your pain, you subconsciously noticed that the comfort of your blade handles were no longer in your hands. Where were your daggers?

"What are you doing!?" Kakashi-sensei's voice rang through the clearing. "This fight was over the moment I got caught! The mission was to protect the bridge builder, not to prove how brave you are! .mission!"

Naruto looked behind himself to Tazuna. "Sir?"

Tazuna glanced down at the ground for a minute before sighing. He looked back up. "I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live…but I won't let that stand in your way. Do what you have to do; do what you must to save your sensei."

"You hear that?" Sasuke smirked.

Slowly, you uncurled your body, weakly raising an arm vertically into the air. You rolled over on your back, clutching weakly at your abdomen. "Can I…Can I take gold for the whole "brave thing"?"

Zabuza's clone, which was still close to you, began to laugh. "You still don't get it, do you? When I was your age, my hands were already stained with blood."

"Zabuza, the Demon…" Kakashi-sensei muttered.

"Ah, so I was in your book too," the original Zabuza commented, amused.

You shakily got to your knees. Your body was racked with pain, your head, your chest, your back, everything. You glanced over your shoulder at the clone standing only several feet away.

Kakashi wasted no time in explaining the story to your confused team. "Years back, the Village Hidden in the Mist was also known as Blood Mist Village. It was called so because of the final exam taken to become a ninja."

Zabuza's eyes gleamed. "Oh, so you know about the graduation exam, do you?"

"The graduation exam?" Naruto echoed. Zabuza's clone only laughed in response. Naruto gave an angered cry. "What!? What is it!?"

"Fights to the death, with other students," Zabuza responded looking at your team. "Friends who had eaten at the same table with you, trained, and shared their dreams with you, were pinned against each other in fights to the death."

"Th-That's terrible," Sakura trembled. You only continued to stare at the clone, not daring to take your eyes off of it.

Kakashi-sensei continued. "Ten years ago the graduation exam was forced to change."

"Change? Why?" Sakura asked timidly, as though she didn't know if she really wanted the answer.

Kakashi-sensei, again, had the answer. "Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who didn't even qualify for the exam, had killed over one hundred of that year's candidates."

The clone looked up his eyes full of bloodlust and madness. "Fun times."

Your eyes barely caught what happened next. In a flash, Zabuza was gone from your line of vision. You whirled around so quickly you almost fell over from dizziness. Zabuza appeared in front of your three teammates and Tazuna, and kneed Sasuke in the stomach.

"Sasuke!" you called as he flew away from the team.

Relentlessly, the clone followed. As soon as Sasuke hit the ground, the clone was on him, stomping his foot into Sasuke's abdomen so hard blood flew from his mouth. Your eyes shook as the clone repeated the process continually.

"Sasuke!" you turned your head to Naruto. "Naruto, do something!"

Mouth open, and seemingly frozen, Naruto looked at you. Finally, he shook his head. "R-Right! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

At least a dozen Naruto's populated the area around Zabuza, distracting him. Cringing as you did so, you got to your feet. Stumbling at first, you worked through the pain, doing your best to get back to your team members. Before doing so, you spotted your daggers lying only a few feet away. You quickly swiped them up and headed for your teammates. You finally got there as Naruto's clones readied for attack. The clones all ran forward, many jumping into the air. They came down on Zabuza, encasing him in a dome.

"Sasuke!" you whispered as you reached him. You had come up behind him, trying to keep as low-key as possible.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at you. His body was shaking slightly and a trail of red blood was running from his mouth. You ran forward and kneeled down next to the boy. Slinging one arm over your shoulder, you and Sasuke moved away from the immediate battle just as Zabuza broke free, sending Narutos flying into the air everywhere.

Back towards Tazuna and Sakura, you watched as Narutos hit the ground one by one, disappearing in a puff of a smoke as they did so. The real Naruto skid across the ground. He had pulled off his backpack before he had hit the ground and was rummaging through it.

"I'm not giving up; I've still got this! Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed a windmill shuriken, currently folded up, and threw it up into the air.

Sasuke reached up to grab it, spinning once as he did so, and taking it into his left hand. Sasuke smirked as you watched surprised and curious. Sasuke unfolded the shuriken, holding it in front of him. 'Do they really think they can take him down with a shuriken? What's going on?'

Apparently, Zabuza had the same train of thought. "A shuriken? That thing can't touch me."

Sasuke ignored this and jumped into the air. Once he was high enough, he sent the shuriken rapidly spinning towards the clone. Just as it reached the clone, however, it curved, bypassing the clone and headed straight for the real Zabuza. Your head perked up.

"So, you sent the shuriken straight at me, eh? Smart, but not smart enough," the real Zabuza smirked, catching the shuriken in his one, unoccupied hand. Just as he did so however, another shuriken whizzed straight towards him.

'Another shuriken in the shadow of the other one!' you glanced over at Sasuke, who was smirking. You looked back to Zabuza. 'He can't catch this one; he'd have to let go of Kakashi-sensei if he did…'

You watched with baited breath while the shuriken reached Zabuza. Zabuza laughed in superiority and jumped upwards, letting the shuriken fly right beneath his feet. But out of the corner of your right eye, you saw Sasuke smirking. You watched as the shuriken went up in a puff of smoke and turned into Naruto.

Naruto smirked, throwing a kunai straight for Zabuza. "Eat this!"

You watched mouth open as the kunai flew at Zabuza. His eyes widened as he debated what he should do. He dodged to his left, missing the kunai and only receiving a graze on his right cheek from it. But his right arm had detached from Kakashi-sensei's prison when he dodge and now, Kakashi-sensei was free. At the same time, Zabuza's clone disappeared in a splash of water.

Angrily, Zabuza turned around. As Naruto fell towards the water, Zabuza twirled the windmill shuriken in his hand rapidly.

"No, Naruto!" you cried out as Zabuza moved to throw the shuriken.

There was a flash and suddenly, Kakashi-sensei was in front of Zabuza, blocking the shuriken blades from moving by the metal-plated glove on his right hand. Naruto fell harmlessly into the water, making a large splash.

"You guys, that was incredible!" you finally found your voice, looking over at Sasuke. He was smirking, watching the scene in front of him.

"Naruto, that was an excellent plan," Kakashi-sensei said, looking over to Naruto who had bobbed to the surface of the water.

Naruto laughed. "I just used the shadow clones to distract him. While he was busy with that, I turned into a shuriken and had my clone grab me. When it threw the shuriken, it looked like a real one! Of course, when Sasuke caught it, he noticed it was me in a second. He spun around so no one would see him grab his own shuriken. Then I hid in the shadow of his shuriken. Of course, I knew I couldn't beat Zabuza on my own, that wasn't in the game plan. I just wanted to break up his prison; I didn't know his clone would be destroyed too, that was a bonus!"

"Don't brag, you just got lucky," Sasuke smirked, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

You glanced over to Sasuke, not being able to help the smirk on your face. 'Highly doubt it. Their teamwork was flawless! They may hate each other, but they knew what to do without even talking!'

"I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison," Zabuza said angrily.

"No one like a sore loser, Zabuza!" you yelled, wiping at your face. You could feel blood drying there.

Zabuza tried to turn a glare on you, but he couldn't, Kakashi-sensei had him where he wanted him.

"Nakao's right, you were _forced _to let go," Kakashi-sensei mocked. "That same technique won't work on my twice, so what's it gunna be?"

The entire area silenced as the two jounin stared each other down. The same suffocating bloodlust from earlier filled the air. Your other teammates could feel it too.

"Nakao, Sakura," Sasuke glanced over at the two of you. "You know what to do."

"Hai," you and Sakura chanted.

The three of you returned to your formation in front of Tazuna, since Naruto was still in the water near the jounin. This time, you took the middle with Sasuke and Sakura on either side of you.

You watched as Zabuza tried to force the shuriken down on Kakashi-sensei, but he fought back and knocked the shuriken out of Zabuza's hand. The two jounin then jumped away from each other, standing atop the water. Zabuza began a very long sequence of handsigns; Kakashi-sensei copied each one perfectly.

"Water Dragon Jutsu!" the two yelled together.

The water in front of them began to ripple and from the lake shot out two serpent-bodied dragons. They swirled around each other before attacking each other with teeth made of water. Water flew from the dragons like blood might on a living creature. The dragon's clashed together, becoming one big tidal wave.

You gasped, looking over at Sasuke. "We have to get Naruto!"

You went to move when Sasuke grabbed your right wrist.

"Are you crazy!?" he scolded.

Just as he did so, the wave rushed over Naruto and headed straight for your group. You all planted your feet to the ground, throwing arms in front of your faces to protect yourselves from water that hit so hard it felt like needles.

When the wave disappeared and you could stand normal again, you looked back to the lake. Naruto was fine and was bobbing around in the water, his hair matted over his face. Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza were fighting against one another. Zabuza was pushing down on Kakashi-sensei with his sword, and Kakashi-sensei was pushing back using a kunai. They struggled for a minute before jumping apart again.

The two began to run in a circle, stopping directly in front of one another. At the same time, the two performed the same handsigns, calling out the same thing.

"He's not just copying…he's doing it at the same time!" Tazuna realized.

"How is that possible?" you breathed. Out of the corner of your eye, you glanced over to Sasuke, but he was just as bewildered as you.

"…what I'm going to do next?" Kakashi-sensei suddenly said.

Zabuza's eyes widened. You watched in awe.

"It makes you furious, doesn't it?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

'He's psyching Zabuza out. He's trying to make him believe that his Sharingan can read his mind or see into the future…'

"You're just copying me like a monkey!" Zabuza said angrily.

Simultaneously, the two spoke. "You can't beat me with cheap tricks! I'll crush you!"

You watched in awe as Kakashi-sensei performed the same handsigns as Zabuza at the same time. Zabuza began to shake, eyes wide. As he did so, Kakashi-sensei actually finished the jutsu. "Water Vortex!"

In front of Kakashi-sensei, a vortex began to swirl into existence. It grew into a large typhoon and plowed straight into Zabuza, knocking him off of his feet. You lost Zabuza in the large waves, but found your teammate.

"Oh no, Naruto!" you gasped, watching him flail helplessly in the untamable waves.

Naruto finally managed to grab onto a tree branch, holding on for dear life.

"Hold on, Naruto!" you called out. Naruto yelled something back, but you couldn't hear it.

You carefully ran along the outskirts of the lake where it was muddy and easy to lose your footing. When you reached Naruto, you thrusted out your hand. Carefully, Naruto grabbed it just as his other hand lost grip of the slippery branch. You tugged him ashore, both falling on your backs as you did so. You hollered out in pain, your back searing.

"Nakao, are you okay!?" Naruto asked, concerned.

"Yeah…" you gritted your teeth together, trying to beat the pain.

Naruto hopped to his feet, offering out his hand to help you up.

In the meantime, Kakashi-sensei's jutsu pushed Zabuza's back up against the tree. Immediately afterwards, Kakashi-sensei threw several kunai at Zabuza. They dug through his limbs, nailing him to the tree. Zabuza cried out in pain as Kakashi-sensei kneeled on a tree branch above him.

"You're finished," Kakashi-sensei said as the water began to calm and ebb back to where the lake was originally.

You and Naruto, as well as the rest of your group, drew closer to Zabuza and Kakashi-sensei, but still kept your distance. Zabuza wasn't paying any mind to you, however; he was doing his best to look up at your sensei. "H-How? Can you see into the future?"

"Yes, this is your last battle…ever," Kakashi-sensei said, holding up a kunai.

Just then, a moving object came from somewhere from your left. Your senses immediately detected the movement and you watched as two senbon (tracker needles) flew smoothly, right into Zabuza's neck. Zabuza's eyes immediately fluttered shut and he fell forwards, knocking out the kunai pinning him to the tree, and hitting the ground.

Your team gasped and each one of you looked in the direction the needles had come from. Standing up on a high tree branch was a person no taller than you. They wore a white mask with a design on it. You squinted. 'Is that…?'

"You're right…this was his last battle," the newcomer said. Their voice was soft and was hard to detect whether it was a female voice or a male voice. You leaned towards male.

Kakashi-sensei jumped down from his spot, squatting beside Zabuza's body. He put two fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse. After a second, Kakashi-sensei shook his head. "No vital signs."

He glanced up and over to the newcomer. They bowed their head. "Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time; waiting for this chance to finally take him down."

"From your mask, I see that you are a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi-sensei commented.

"You are well informed," the tracker ninja confirmed.

"Ugh, a tracker!" Naruto clenched his hands into fists.

"Naruto, you don't even know what that is; try coming to class sometime," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Naruto, trackers are specially trained ninja who hunt down rogue ninjas from their village. Their goal is to eliminate the rogue ninja so that the secrets of their village don't fall into the wrong hands and remain secrets," you explained, never taking your eyes off of the ninja.

"That is correct," they nodded. "I'm a member of the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was my duty to stop Zabuza."

Naruto suddenly ran forward. He looked between Zabuza and the boy several times. The more that he did so, the more growling was made in the back of his throat. Finally, he thrust a finger out at the boy. "Who do you think you are!?"

"Easy Naruto, he is not our enemy," Kakashi-sensei got to his feet.

"That's not the point!" Naruto rounded on Kakashi-sensei. "Did you see what he did, just like that!? Zabuza was huge and powerful! We worked really hard to take him down! And this kid, who is no bigger than me, comes and takes him down just like that! I mean, what does that make us!?"

Sakura looked towards the ground. You and Sasuke glanced at one another. His face revealed nothing but yours revealed the frustration that Naruto was voicing. You looked away from your raven-haired teammate, feeling at your face. You could already feel the swelling and bruising.

Kakashi-sensei walked over to Naruto, putting a hand on his head. "Naruto, in this world, there are kids younger than you, but stronger than me."

Kakashi-sensei slowly turned his eyes over towards your group. You were standing next to Sasuke, so you couldn't tell who he was looking at. You and Sasuke glanced at one another; he must have been thinking the same thing.

'No way,' you told yourself. 'Sasuke's way stronger than me.'

The kid disappeared in a small gust of wind, and reappeared in a similar one right next to Zabuza. With ease, he lifted the big lug's arm over his shoulder and glanced to your team. "Your struggle is over for now; I need to deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body, they must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me. Farewell."

The boy and Zabuza disappeared in a gust of wind. As Kakashi-sensei moved his headband back over his Sharingan, Naruto ran forwards, to the area the tracker ninja and Zabuza had been just seconds prior. "He's gone, Naruto. Let it go."

Naruto gave an aggravated cry and fell to his knees. He proceeded to punching the ground in anger, over and over. You glanced at your teammates, but they only stared at your teammate in surprise. You sighed. 'Too much drama…'

You reached Naruto just as he pulled back a fist. You caught his arm, causing him to stop abruptly and look back at you.

"Naruto…come on…"

"But…Nakao," there was such disappointment in Naruto's sky blue eyes.

You tried to smile. "I'm sure there will be other bad guys to kill…don't sweat it."

Naruto only looked at you with pain in his eyes, but he slowly got to his feet, standing beside you. Kakashi-sensei looked at your other teammates. "Our mission still isn't complete. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

Tazuna let out a laugh. "Sorry I caused all this trouble, but you guys can rest up at my house."

"Thank god!" you exasperated.

"Alright, let's get a move on!" Kakashi-sensei announced. He turned his back on all of you, headed in the direction of Tazuna's house.

Kakashi-sensei got two steps away when he suddenly stopped and began to wobble. Your team members stopped as well, staring at Kakashi-sensei's back curiously. Without warning, Kakashi-sensei suddenly fell forward, face first into the ground.

Your team gasped, sprinting forward to your fallen teacher. "Kakashi-sensei? Kakashi-sensei!"


	8. Becoming a Hero

_You practically sprinted the entire way home; you were so excited. Mom and Dad were supposed to be home today. You had so much to tell them: how much fun you had had on your birthday, even though they had missed it, that you had aced an academy exam this week, and that you finally learned the jutsu that Itachi-san had been teaching you and Sasuke-kun._

_Your little fingers turned the doorknob to your house, bursting through the door. There was a smile on your face, until the kitchen, which was the immediate room of the house when you walked inside, greeted you. Your parents were not home. Keitaro was; he was leaning his lower back against one of the kitchen counters, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked tired, his eyes weary. His brown bangs were in a mess, revealing that he had probably been running his hands through them repeatedly all day._

_What was unusual, however, was the other person in your home. Hokage-sama was also standing in your kitchen, only a foot or two away from your brother. As you closed the door behind you, they both glanced up at you. Neither males seemed happy to see you._

_"Keitaro…where's Mom and Dad?" you asked carefully, turning your violet-colored eyes on your visitor. "Why is Hokage-sama here?"_

_Keitaro glanced at the Hokage, who returned his look with a solemn one of his own. Dread was beginning to swirl in your chest. Something wasn't right here._

_"Nakao-imouto…maybe you should sit down," Keitaro said gently, pushing himself away from the counter._

_"Why?" you asked. Your voice was beginning to rise in fear._

_Keitaro wandered over and steered you into a cushion at your table. You didn't protest, but kept your eyes on your brother the entire time._

_"What's going on?" you whispered._

_"Nakao…Mom and Dad are dead."_

_Your world shattered. The words seemed so foreign to you, like Keitaro was speaking another language. Your entire body went numb. Keitaro's lips were moving, speaking to you, but you couldn't hear him. The world had gone silent around you, save the humming in your ears._

_Keitaro put a hand on your shoulder, kneeling beside you. "Nakao…Nakao…"_

"Nakao…Nakao!"

You groaned, throwing an arm over your eyes to protect them from any prodding light. You muttered sleepily. "Go away."

"Nakao, get up! This is important!" Naruto exclaimed.

You let out an aggravated sigh, dropping your arm dramatically onto the floor, gazing up at him. He was bursting with excitement.

"Come on, Nakao!"

"Alright!" you surrendered, throwing back the blanket you had been sleeping under. You sat up, rubbing at your eyes. "Someone better be dying."

You stopped, looking up at Naruto hopefully. "Is it Sakura?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at you, frowning in confusion. "No! Kakashi-sensei's awake! I mean, I think!"

You sighed. "Well there goes my dream…alright."

You got to your feet, following Naruto out into the hallway. Two doors down, Sakura and Sasuke were standing outside a doorway. Once you and Naruto arrived, the two wandered in, you following.

Kakashi-sensei was lying in bed, a thick, green blanket over his form. Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, was standing over your sensei, hands on her hips. She looked up when the four of you entered, smiling warmly. Sakura walked over to Kakashi-sensei's left side, sitting beside him. You, Sasuke and Naruto sat at the foot of his bed, in that order.

"Kakashi-sensei, your Sharingan is amazing, but it seems to put a lot of strain on your body. I don't know if it's good or bad," Sakura said, looking down at your sensei.

You were sitting cross-legged, your right elbow resting on the respective knee, and your cheek resting in that hand. "Well, since we would have died horribly without it, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it's a good thing."

"I'm being serious, Nakao," Sakura looked over at you pointedly.

"So am I," you returned the look.

"Well, you defeated the ninja so we should be okay for a while," Tazuna commented. He had entered the room shortly after you and was wiping his glasses lenses with a rag.

"By the way, Sensei, who was that boy with the mask?" Sakura asked, a finger to her chin in thought.

You groaned, burying your face into your hand. Your voice came out muffled since your mouth was pressed into your hand. "I thought we already went through this."

Sakura shot you a glare. "Fine then, Nakao. Since you're all-knowing…"

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "The kid, like he already told us, is from the Hidden Mist Tracking Unit Squad. Tracking ninja of his specialty are supposed to track down rogue ninja and erase them from existence."

"Why do they want to do that?" Naruto asked.

"A ninja's body could give away the secrets of ninja techniques and chakra of the village the ninja lived in. That includes secret medicine remedies and various other things," Kakashi continued. "For example: if I were to die, the secret of my Sharingan would be examined. The worst case would be my techniques and Sharingan being stolen. So, pursuing ninja will kill exiled ninja, dispose of the body, and stop any secrets of the village they abandoned, from being revealed."

"But hey, Kakashi-sensei, aren't tracker ninja supposed to annihilate the body on the spot? I thought they only had to take the head back as proof," you asked.

"That's true…" Kakashi-sensei trailed off. His face was full of contemplation.

"Um, Sensei?" you asked.

Kakashi-sensei struggled into a sitting position, still deep in thought.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked slowly, looking between you and Kakashi-sensei.

"What did Zabuza do with the body?" Kakashi-sensei asked Sakura.

"How should we know? He took it away," she shrugged.

"Exactly. Like I just said, they're not supposed to do that. It's against protocol," you said, glancing to the pink-haired kunoichi.

"And then there's the choice in weapon…" Kakashi-sensei went on.

"They were long needles…tracking needles," Sasuke's face was also strained in concentration. His head finally snapped up, looking at you and Kakashi-sensei. "So…"

"What are you guys talking about?" Tazuna asked. Naruto and Sakura looked just as confused.

"Zabuza is alive," Kakashi-sensei stated, cutting to the chase.

"What!?" all three of them exclaimed. Tsunami's face registered fright from Kakashi-sensei's right side.

"What do you mean!?" Naruto's eyes widened, his voice rising.

"But you said it yourself, Sensei! You confirmed Zabuza was dead," Sakura insisted.

"I did say that, but he was probably in a near death state. That kind of weaponry doesn't always kill; it's usually used in medical practice," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"If that boy really was a tracker ninja, or trained in the art, it would have been a breeze for him to put Zabuza in that state," you realized, glancing to Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. "I mean, did you see that precision he had?"

"First off, that boy took Zabuza's body even though it was clearly too heavy. Second, he used a weapon not likely to kill. By looking at these two points it almost obvious, the boy wasn't trying to harm Zabuza, but help him," Kakashi decided.

"Maybe you're just thinking too much," Tazuna said, trying to ease his panic. Sweat was already beginning to accumulate on his face and he tried to dry it with the rag in his hand.

"No, once a ninja feels something, they must prepare themselves before it is too late. It's a ninja rule," Kakashi-sensei insisted.

"So what's the game plan?" you asked your sensei.

"I'm going to put you guys through training," he responded.

You groaned. You were still sore everywhere. Almost every part of you was still bruised and swollen. Even your bones were bruised. Everything aside from sleeping sounded like a major pain in the ass at the moment.

"But how is training going to help us?" Sakura asked.

Your hand slid out from beneath your cheek in shock. You gaped at your pink teammate. "Did you just seriously say that? You're right Strawberry Shortcake, how on earth would getting strong help us at all? What a silly thought."

"Shut up, Nakao!" Sakura glared over at you.

"_You _shut up!" you pointed at her. "You're the one saying stupid things!"

Kakashi-sensei sighed, bowing his head. Naruto on the other hand, was now overcome with excitement. He was grinning as he pumped a fist into the air. "Alright! Now things are getting interesting!"

"No they're not."

Your entire team turned around to see who had spoken. It was a little boy, no older than eight, standing in the doorway. With black hair and black eyes, he looked just like his mother. His name was Inari, Tsunami had told you. Because you had mostly been resting the past two days that Kakashi-sensei had been out cold, you had only seen the boy once, and that was just in passing. You had never heard him even speak, until now.

"Inari, where have you been!?" Tazuna grinned, opening his arms wide.

Inari ran towards his grandfather, embracing him. Your entire team watched the exchange. Maybe none of your team had really met Inari either. After all, you had all been keeping busy. Tazuna had rarely been home and was out and about around town, collecting supplies or checking up on the bridge. Sasuke and Naruto had been out training, doing whatever it was they did during training. Sakura had…well…actually, you didn't know what Sakura had been doing. Probably stalking Sasuke.

"Now Inari, don't be rude and say hello. These nice ninja escorted your grandpa home," Tsunami wandered towards him, hands on her hips.

"Ah, it's alright, right Inari?" Tazuna grinned, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Gee, thanks gramps," you muttered.

Sasuke elbowed you in the ribs. You hissed in pain, sending him a death glare. He didn't even look apologetic. When you looked back, you found that Inari had been watching you. You blinked and glanced over to the rest of your team. They were looking at Inari with just as much interest. They must have been examined as well.

After a very awkward and uncomfortable moment, Inari moved over to his mother. Standing in front of her, he looked up into her face. "Mom, they're all going to die."

Your eye immediately began to twitch. 'Um…I guess you could look at it like that…?'

"It's true!" Inari insisted. "They don't stand a chance against Gatoh!"

"What did you say kid!? Listen here, I'm a super hero!" Naruto stuck a thumb into his chest. "I'm going to be a great ninja known as the Hokage! I don't know this Gatoh but he's no match for me!"

"Hero?" Inari spat. "Are you stupid? There are no such things as heroes."

Naruto sat, stunned for a minute before quickly growing offended. He got to his feet, raising his fists. "What did you say!?"

"Naruto, sit down!" Sakura ordered, getting to her feet and preventing Naruto from doing anything stupid.

"If you don't want to die, go home," Inari said before turning his back to you and headed towards the door.

"Inari, where are you going?" Tazuna asked.

"I'm going to go look at the ocean," Inari said without looking back before exiting the room.

Tazuna sighed after he left the room. "I'm sorry about that."

"Is he…always like that?" you asked, looking to the old man. The look that he gave you in return told you yes. You glanced back to the now empty doorway, confused.

* * *

It was quite a few days later when Kakashi-sensei was finally able to get out of bed. He was on wooden crutches, but was mobile. You were feeling better, still a little sore but nothing you hadn't worked through before. So today, bright an early, you and your team had wandered into the woods behind Tazuna's house to train.

Sasuke, you, Naruto and Sakura stood in a straight line, in that order, in front of Kakashi-sensei. The woods were nicely shaded thanks to the towering trees above you. Some of the trees could even rival Konoha's.

"We will now begin your training," Kakashi-sensei announced. "But first, I want to talk about chakra, the basis of ninja abilities."

You groaned on the inside; you had already learned about this in the academy. You heard Sasuke mumble something from your left. Naruto was the one who actually said something. "We already know about catra."

Your eye twitched and you peered to your right at the boy. "It's…chakra, Naruto."

"Sakura, could you please explain?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

This time, you did groan out loud. Why did you have to suffer Sakura's voice more than what was necessary? Sakura ignored you and launched right into her explanation. "Chakra is energy that a ninja needs to utilize a technique. This energy comes from the body energy that is collected from every cell in the body. It also comes from spirit energy that comes from training and experience."

'Blah blah blah.' You rolled your eyes, glancing around yourself, bored.

If Sakura noticed you, she didn't show it; she just continued her relentless lecture. "In other words, techniques come from these two energies that are squeezed out of the body and molded together. This process is known as making chakra. And with this chakra, one is able to perform this technique by forming a handseal."

"That is correct; Iruka-sensei was blessed with such a smart student," Kakashi-sensei told your teammate. Sakura grinned.

You made a gagging sound in the back of your throat.

"Who needs all that? Even if you don't understand all that, you can still learn it with your body," Naruto said.

"I agree, we can already use techniques," Sasuke agreed.

"No, you guys aren't using your chakra completely," Kakashi-sensei immediately shut the boys down.

You, Sasuke and Naruto looked at your sensei skeptically. He sighed. "Just listen. Like Sakura explained, molding chakra is to extract energies from both body and spirit, then mixing them in your body. The amount of energy is different with every technique that you use. So naturally, the way you mix the energies will be different as well. You are not able to use your chakra effectively. Even if you can mold large amounts of chakra, if you cannot control the balance, your technique will be only half effective, that is, if it's effective at all. Wasting energy will become a weakness of not being able to fight for a long time."

"Alright so let's just cut to the chase," you sighed, crossing your arms over your chest. You had enough of all this explaining. You were all about action.

"You guys are going to learn to control chakra amounts with your body. You will undergo harsh training that puts your life on the line."

You watch your sensei carefully. "What are we gunna do…?"

"Climb a tree."

You blinked slowly before shifting your eyes to your teammates. They, too, looked confused. You slowly looked back to your teacher. "Um…what?"

"This isn't normal tree climbing," Kakashi-sensei assured. "You guys are going to climb trees without using your hands."

You scratched your head. "Um…did you hit your head in that last battle?"

Naruto let out a bark of laughter. Kakashi-sensei started at you pointedly. "Just watch."

Kakashi-sensei put his fingers into a handseal, concentrating on his chakra. Dust rose around his feet, showing that he had focused his chakra there. With support from his crutches, Kakashi-sensei walked over to a tree. He placed one foot on the tree trunk, then a crutch and repeated.

'Woah!' you watched as Kakashi-sensei walked vertically up the tree, his body horizontal to the trunk. He walked onto a thick tree branch, hanging upside down and watching your team.

"Gather your chakra to the soles of your feet and make it attach to the tree trunk," Kakashi explained.

"How will we become strong doing that?" Sakura asked, confused.

"And that leads us to the main topic. The main purpose of this training is to calculate how much chakra you need in a certain location. This can be difficult for even the most skilled ninja. The amount needed for tree climbing is quite subtle, but the most difficult area to concentrate chakra is the soles of your feet. So frankly, if you can master this, you can learn any technique. The second purpose to this exercise is to work on molding chakra. Most of the time, ninjas mold their chakra during battle. It's more difficult to mold chakra in that situation. But, it's not like anything is going to happen if I sit and lecture all day."

"I agree," you nodded.

Kakashi threw down four kunai, one landing in front of each of you. "Use that to mark how far up the tree you can make it. Then try and make more and more slashes up as you climb. You guys defiantly aren't good enough to climb by walking so get a running head start. Understand?"

Your lips twisted into a skeptical frown. You bent over, plucking the kunai from the ground. You twisted the weapon with your wrist, looking at it. Your teammates followed suit.

"This is going to be easy for me!" Naruto grinned, gripping his kunai.

You put your fingers into a handsign and closed your eyes. 'First, I need to concentrate my chakra to the soles of my feet…'

You felt a surge there. 'Check.'

You reopened your eyes. You team had followed your lead. Naruto set his eyes on the tree in front of him "Alright, let's do it!"

You watched your blonde teammate rush his tree. He put one foot on the tree trunk, then another. A sound like a wet sponge on a windshield emanated from beneath his shoes. Naruto slipped off of the tree trunk, whacking his head against the ground. He began rolling around on the ground, grasping at his head. You sweatdropped.

From beside you, Sasuke took off towards his tree. You glanced at him before looking at your tree. You took a deep breath and ran at your tree. You tried not to think about the physical illogicalness of the situation and placed one foot on your tree trunk. It was a very strange feeling as you scaled the tree. It was as if your concentrated wavered in either direction, you wouldn't be able to keep your hold.

A snapping sound came from beneath your feet. You gasped as one of your feet sunk into the tree trunk. You gritted your teeth together and slashed the bark where your foot had sunk in with your kunai. Before you fell over, you pushed off of the tree, back flipping in the air and landing on the ground. Sasuke had landed seconds prior and was staring up at his tree.

You glanced up to his tree as well. You had made it just slightly higher than the Uchiha. There was a dent in his bark, just like the dent in yours when you looked back to your tree. You then glanced to Naruto's tree. He was still rolling around on the ground, clutching at the bump on the back of his head. There was no dent in his tree. Your lips twisted in thought. 'I see; if you use too little chakra, your feet will simply slip off of the bark. If you use too much, you'll break through the bark…'

"Hey, this is easier than I thought!"

You glanced up at the sound of Sakura's voice.

"Woah, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura was sitting on a high branch in her tree. She was grinning, looking down at all of you on the ground. Your mouth hung open. How could it be!? How did _she _get that high!? How did she complete the exercise in just one try!?

"Well would you look at that," Kakashi-sensei commented, impressed. "Looks like our female, Sakura, is the best at chakra control."

"That's not a female! That's an it! And she's not that special!" you yelled, glaring up at Sakura. Searing anger bubbled in your stomach.

"Wow go Sakura! I expected this from the girl I have high hopes for!" Naruto grinned up at your teammate. Sasuke cursed from beside you, looking away from the girl. Clearly, he felt your same feelings. Sakura's smile faltered upon seeing Sasuke's reaction.

"Your knowledge is great but I'm truly impressed with your chakra control and stamina," Kakashi-sensei congratulated. "Looks like Sakura is closest to becoming Hokage right now."

Naruto's proud expression turned into an angry response.

"And looks like the Uchiha Clan isn't as great as they say," Kakashi-sensei continued.

"Kakashi-sensei, just because you're excited Strawberry Shortcake actually did something, doesn't mean you should be a dick," you glared at Kakashi-sensei.

You felt oddly defensive of your two male teammates. You weren't sure if it was because you were uniting against a common enemy; Sakura, of if you were just angry because of the insults Kakashi-sensei chose. There was no need for that. Why did he have to hit at their deepest cores?

Kakashi-sensei turned his beady gaze on you. "Nakao, are you trying to take the attention away from your shortcomings?"

"What are you talking about?" you glared, hands on your hips.

"Well maybe Keitaro should train Sakura instead of you."

Your body shook, your blood boiling in your veins. You rounded on Sakura, glaring up while pointing a finger at her. "You're going down, Princess Bubblegum! I'll teach you to mess with Makase Nakao!"

You angrily ran at your tree again, kunai in hand. You bounded up the trunk, keeping the concentration on your chakra. You saw your feet pass your slash in the bark.

"Don't say that to Sasuke, Sensei!"

You cursed as Sakura's high pitched voice broke through your concentration. You slashed at the bark, back flipping to the ground again. You landed between your two male teammates, who were both in a glaring contest. You looked between the both of them.

"I'm not gunna lose to either of you!" he pointed at you and Sasuke suddenly. "I'm gunna pass both of you up!"

"Ha, unlikely Naruto!" you smirked, pointing your kunai tip at Naruto. "Care to place a wager?"

"Like what?" Naruto asked, confused.

You thought for a second, tapping the tip of your kunai against your chin. You smiled, lowering your blade. "Whoever reaches the top of their tree last, buys the winner a bowl of ramen. You want in on this, Sasuke?"

You glanced over your shoulder at Sasuke. He glanced over at you, an annoyed look on his face. "No."

"Afraid you'll lose, Sasuke?" you leered.

Sasuke immediately glared. You smirked, turning back to Naruto. "Sasuke's in!"

Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "Alright! Free ramen for me!"

"Yeah right, Naruto!" you turned away from him and ran at your tree.

* * *

"Uuugggghhh!" you complained out loud, lying on your back. You kicked your legs up and down against the ground.

You were exhausted as you gazed up at the sky above. It was hard to see clearly with the tree canopies blocking out the sky, but it was clearly getting later in the day. The sun was continually sinking in the sky and it was turning from blue to orange and purple. You were beginning to feel sore all over your body again and you cursed Zabuza. 'Why is this so hard?'

Movement from your right caught your attention. You turned your head against the ground, resting your right cheek on the grass and watched as Naruto got to his feet. He glared up at his tree before wandering over to Sakura. He kneeled down beside her, for she was lying on the grass, exhausted, and whispered something.

You turned your head the other way to look over at Sasuke. He was sitting on the grass, breathing heavily. His face was smeared with sweat and dirt just like yours. His attention had also been caught by Naruto and was glancing at him curiously.

You looked up to Sasuke's tree. The two of you were neck and neck, you beating him by just a mark or two. Naruto hadn't yet caught up to either of you and had only reached about a foot off the ground. You sighed, forcing yourself into a sitting position. 'Alright…something's gotta give…'

* * *

You jumped back to the earth. You were breathing heavily, sweat causing your bangs to stick to your forehead. Your chest felt constricted from the soreness of your muscles and bones. You, Sasuke and Naruto had been out in the forest all day, working on getting up your trees. You had been out here starting early in the morning and now, the day was turning to dusk.

Sakura wasn't out here with the three of you. Kakashi-sensei had sent Pinkie to go watch Tazuna on the bridge today while the three of you completed your training. You had thought this was a terrible idea; Tazuna was probably dead by now!

You wiped at your forehead, pushing your damp bangs out of your eyes. As you stood straight, ready to put your hands together in a handseal, Naruto was already getting ready to run, his mind set in complete concentration. Just as he lifted his feet off of the ground to run, he got distracted.

"Naruto."

Sasuke's voice surprised Naruto and he tripped over himself, falling flat on his face. Your concentration was also broken and you glanced over at Mr. Heartthrob.

"What do you want!? Don't bother me when I'm concentrating!" Naruto yelled, getting to his knees and glaring past you to Sasuke.

"Well…uh…"

"What?" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.

You watched Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. Was he _stuttering_?

Sasuke looked as though he was choking on something when he finally spit out the words. "Yesterday you asked Sakura for help; what did she tell you?"

The words came out so quickly it took you and Naruto a minute to piece together what Sasuke had said. You both blinked, then reacted differently. Naruto grinned slyly, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not telling."

You immediately ran over to the boy, grabbing his shirt in both hands. You shook him once. "No, Sasuke! Retain your dignity!"

Twitching, Sasuke pushed you off of him. You spit your tongue out at him, waving him off. Fine, if he wanted help from Sakura, that was his own battle. 'Screw Sakura, I can do this on my own!'

You ran at your tree again.

"Wow, it's been so long since I've eaten with so many people," Tazuna commented later that night at dinner.

Despite this, Tazuna's home housed a rather large table. At the heads sat Sakura and Tazuna. On Sakura's left sat Naruto with Kakashi-sensei next to him. The empty seat next to Kakashi-sensei was where Tsunami had been sitting; now she was washing dishes. To Sakura's right sat Sasuke, with you next to him, and Inari on your other side.

Dinner was simple, stew and bread, but it was delicious. Especially since your stomach was grumbling from hunger. Sasuke and Naruto were shoveling food into their mouths like they had never eaten before. Emptying their bowls, they got to their feet simultaneously. "I want some more!"

They glared at one another, before twisting in their seats and practically upchucking everything they had just swallowed. Eye twitching, you let your spoon drop into your bowl, glaring at the two rivals.

Sakura got to her feet, slapping a hand down on the tabletop. "If you're going to throw up, don't eat so much!"

"We have to eat," Sasuke insisted.

"So we can be stronger," Naruto finished.

You glared next to you at Sasuke. "Honestly, have some class, Uchiha."

Sasuke shot you a glare. You rolled your eyes, picking up your spoon and ate some more.

After dinner, Tsunami served everyone tea. You were excited to find that Tsunami had sugar for you to sweeten your tea with. Sweet tea was something you enjoyed extremely. You and Naruto happily and enthusiastically sucked down your cups. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei seemed a little bit mellower. Sakura had opted out altogether and had gotten up from her seat. She had wandered over to the wall, staring at a photograph.

The photo consisted of Tsunami, Inari and Tazuna. The picture looked recent, like it had only been taken a year or two ago. The upper, right hand corner of the photo was ripped. You could see a man's body next to Tsunami, behind Inari, but the head was torn out of the picture.

"Why do you have a torn picture on the wall?" Sakura asked. "Inari was watching it all throughout dinner."

Tsunami paused, her arms going still. Tazuna also seemed to freeze. Finally, after a long, awkward silence, Tsunami spoke. "It's my husband."

"He was known as a hero in this town…" Tazuna said quietly.

From beside you, Inari slid out of his chair. You watched as he moved towards the door of the room. Tsunami turned to watch him, worry on her face. "Inari, where are you going?"

The young boy didn't respond and opened the door, disappearing outside into the night. Tsunami quickly ran over, opening the door. Before she exited, she glared over her shoulder at Tazuna. "Father, I told you not to mention him in front of Inari!"

In a second, she was gone too. Silence overtook the room again as Tazuna stared down at the wooden tabletop. Sakura looked to him. "What's wrong with Inari?"

"Maybe you should stop asking questions," you glanced up at her. She glared. You felt a kick in your leg and glared over at Sasuke.

"Knock it off," Sasuke whispered at you.

"_I'm _not doing anything!" you hissed back. "She's the one causing trouble like always. Why are you taking _her _side?"

You glared at the Uchiha accusingly. He simply looked away, ignoring you. You gritted your teeth together in irritation.

"Inari had a father, not related in blood..."

Everyone blinked and turned to Tazuna as he began to speak. He told you a tale, a tragic tale about a hero. When Inari was younger, he was rescued from drowning by a man going by the name of Kaiza. He was a man of courage who had once saved the village from flooding. Inari ahd looked up to him, they were so close. However, then Gatoh came to the Land of Waves and when everyone else was afraid of him, Kaiza stood up. Gatoh didn't like this and overpowered Kaiza. His arms were broken and he was brought to the village square, tied up to a post to be made an example of. Kaiza was executed in front of Inari.

"Ever since then, courage has been stolen from this village...and Inari's changed...so has everyone..." Tazuna finished.

You had listened to the tale with your right elbow resting on the table top, your chin then resting on the back of your right hand. You, too, knew the pain of losing a parent. You had lost both. But you hadn't witnessed their death, and for this, your heart reached out for Inari.

The scraping of a chair against the floor grabbed your attention. You looked over as Naruto got to his feet. He moved to take a step but instead, fell flat on his face. You looked over, concerned. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to prove it to him…" Naruto said, shakily trying to get to his knees.

"Prove what to who?" you asked, eyebrow raised.

Naruto slowly got to his feet. "That there are such things as heroes in this world…"

_"Hero?" Inari spat. "Are you stupid? There are no such things as heroes."_

'Oh…'

"Naruto, you're going to die if you train anymore tonight," you pointed out. He didn't even seem to hear you.

* * *

'I don't want to do this…yes you do…I do not! Yes you do!'

Your brain argued with itself as you slowly slid out of bed. It was late at night, probably sometime past midnight. You had fallen asleep right after dinner and had just woken up, realizing you wasted the entire evening. You knew you probably shouldn't have trained after dinner, but you still felt like you had wasted time.

Beside your bed were your weapon pouches and belt and you quietly put them on, glancing over your shoulder at the two sleeping occupants in the room as you did so. You were sharing a room with Tsunami and Sakura and you didn't want to disturb them. Tip-toeing out the door, you quietly shut it behind you.

The house was incredibly dark and quiet. Every footstep on the wooden floor made you cringe. You didn't particularly feel like getting caught up; an early morning lecture was something you tried to avoid. Thankfully, you made it to the front door without incident. Smiling at your tiny victory, you slid outside "


	9. What I'm Fighting For

_"You were right, this was his last-"_

_"I'm a member of the elite…"_

_ "Zabuza is alive…"_

**_"Aaaahhh! No, stay back! Don't come in!"_**

You shot up, gasping for air. A cold sweat ran down your face and back as Sasuke's scream echoed in your head. You tried to slow your breathing, chanting calming words to yourself. 'It was dream…just a dream!'

When your breathing finally returned to normal, you glanced around yourself. It was morning, and a very sunny morning at that. The grass you had been lying in was wet with morning dew and birds were flying around the clearing, chirping.

It had been too dark last night to find the clearing you had been training in with your teammates. Instead of getting lost, you had settled on this clearing. You hadn't planned on falling asleep outside; you must have worn yourself out.

You stretched, yawning as you looked to the tree you had practiced on last night. Although you didn't have your original tree to compare it to, you were pretty positive you were getting better. At least there were no dent marks in your tree. You gazed pensively upon the kunai slashes as you ran a hand through your long hair. You hoped it wasn't too horribly knotted.

A presence set off your senses. Your head immediately whipped to the side, your ears straining as you heard footsteps nearing your clearing. Moments later, a flash of pink was skirting the bush around your clearing.

You crinkled your eyebrows together. "Sakura…?"

Seconds later, the figure emerged, but it wasn't Sakura. You immediately scrambled to your feet as a girl walked into the clearing. She had long, dark brown hair that was slightly longer than yours and reached to her lower back. Her eyes were a deep brown and seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. She was wearing a simple pink kimono and was holding a woven basket in her left hand.

"Sakura? Are you looking for that person?" the girl said, wandering towards you. Her voice was soft and innocent.

You shook your head. "N-no, sorry. I just saw pink and I thought you might be my teammate."

The girl tilted her head, watching you. "I haven't seen a girl in the woods yet today; but I am seeing quite a few people out here today. Usually these woods are desolate."

"Huh?" it was your turn to cock your head in question.

The girl smiled warmly. "I've run into two people so far while I've been out here, and you are the third."

"Two other people?" you asked.

The girl nodded. "Yes, one said his name was Naruto."

"Oh, Naruto! He must be out here training."

The girl smiled, nodding. "Yes, he did say that's what he was doing. I think the other boy I passed was looking for him."

'Sasuke.' You guessed.

"What are you doing out here so early?" you asked, peeking down at the girl's basket. It was filled with what appeared to be herbs.

"I'm collecting medicinal herbs for my friend…he's hurt badly."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," you said sympathetically, glancing back up to the girl's face.

"Naruto, is he a friend of yours?" the girl suddenly asked.

Her change of subject caught you off guard. "Oh, um…I guess you could say that. We're teammates."

"Ah. Well the two of you seem very nice; the other boy did not appear so."

"Yeah, Sasuke's usually in a foul mood," you nodded, forgetting that you were talking to someone who didn't really know what you were talking about.

"Are you training too?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," you subconsciously looked over to your tree. "I came out here last night to get some extra training in, but now it appears I'm lost."

You scratched the back of your head sheepishly.

The girl cocked her head to the side again. "Are you training for the same reason he is?"

You blinked. "What reason did he give you?"

"He said that he wanted to become stronger and stronger, so that one day he could be the number one ninja in his village."

You nodded. "Yeah that sounds right."

"I told him…" the girl's eyes seemed to lose their focus, like she was thinking of a distant memory. "That to become truly strong…you must do so because you want to protect someone important to you."

You watched the girl quietly for a moment. The image of your brother flashed in your mind, then an image of Kiba and an image of squad seven.

"Do you have someone that is important to you?" the girl asked, retraining her attention on you.

Slowly, you nodded. "Yes…yes I do."

The girl smiled before slowly glancing over her shoulder. "Your friends are that way; just head completely straight."

After a moment of letting your brain catch up to the conversation, you smiled. "Thanks, Ms…..?"

"Oh," the girl giggled softly. "Your friend made the same mistake. I'm a boy."

You blinked, mouth dropping ever so slightly. 'What!? How can a boy be that pretty!?'

"I-I'm sorry," you apologized. "I didn't mean to offend you! It's just, you look so pretty and-oh I'm sorry!"

The boy continued to smile. "I am not offended, don't worry. You're very pretty too."

You blushed, laughing nervously.

"I'm sorry but I must be going; I need to get these herbs to my friend," the boy said.

"Of course. I should probably go find my friends," you nodded.

The boy smiled, giving you a nod in goodbye and moved past you. You looked over your shoulder, watching him leave, suddenly remembering you hadn't gotten his name. Shrugging, you picked up your kunai from the grass and ran a hand through your hair as you made your way to find your teammates.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Sasuke asked.

You stood behind a tree, holding your breath. You had been about to walk into the clearing when you had seen your two teammates, until Sasuke started scolding Naruto. You hadn't been seen yet and you were too curious to interrupt this conversation.

"Why would I know where she is?" Naruto asked. "She must have snuck out after me."

"We need to go find her," Sasuke sighed.

"She's probably just out in the woods, I'm sure she'll find us," Naruto whined.

"Unless she passed out from training and cracked her skull open, you moron," Sasuke glared at the blonde.

Naruto gasped, grabbing at his head. "You're right! We need to go find her right now!"

"Calm down," Sasuke bopped Naruto in the back of the head.

Your eyebrows crinkled together. Was Sasuke actually worried about you? That was weird. Naruto's concern was a little less surprising, but still some all the same. Now you just needed Sakura to be worried and you could officially declare hell frozen over.

Stepping out from behind the tree you'd been hiding behind, you walked into the clearing. Sasuke's back was to you and Naruto was standing directly in front of him, blocking his view.

"I'm so touched with your concern, Sasuke," you smiled, stopping behind the boy.

"Nakao!" Naruto grinned, peering around Sasuke.

Sasuke merely turned around, watching you with his usual lethargic expression. "I wasn't concerned."

"That's not what it sounded like to me," you teased.

Sasuke crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."

You rolled your eyes right back. Gesturing your middle finger at the boy, you walked past him to your tree.

* * *

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's voice rang through the clearing. She and Kakashi-sensei stopped in front of your trees, glancing around. "Naruto still hasn't shown up and Sasuke never came back from his walk…"

Suddenly, a kunai came hurtling towards the pair, digging itself into the ground at their feet. Surprised, Sakura and Kakashi-sensei glanced from the kunai, up into Naruto's tree. He was in a very high branch, lying atop it with his legs and arms hanging on either side.

"Woah…someone like Naruto can climb that high?" Sakura whispered in surprise.

"How do you like that!? Look how high I can climb!" Naruto grinned. He hopped to his feet, hands on his hips. However, just as he stood, he lost his footing and started to fall.

"Ah, idiot!" Sakura cried as she and Kakashi-sensei watched with wide eyes.

Just as Naruto fell beneath the branch, however, he reattached his feet, now hanging upside down on his branch. "Haha, you guys totally fell for it!"

"Naruto, you moron!" Sakura yelled, a vein pulsating in her forehead.

Naruto grinned, chuckling to himself for a moment until **pop**. With a sound like a large bubble popping, Naruto's feet detached from the tree branch. Sakura screamed while Kakashi-sensei's eye widened. In a flash, you darted up a tree nearby, jumping over to Naruto's. Attaching your feet to the bottom of the branch like Naruto had done several moments earlier, you managed to catch him by the ankle.

"Haha, Naruto, you idiot! I totally just saved your ass," you grinned, hair falling around you as you hung upside down.

"Woah, Nakao can get that high too now?" Sakura breathed.

"I think you owe me ramen now," you told the boy.

"What!? Never!" Naruto tried to twist his body to yell at you.

"Ah, Naruto, no!" you cried out, but it was too late. The velocity that Naruto was exerting pulled against your body and with another **pop**, your feet also detached from the tree branch.

"Ah, Naruto I'm going to kill you!" you screamed, squeezing your eyes shut. Naruto had already started yelling, flailing his arms out.

But just when you thought you were going to die, you were jolted to a stop. Blinking, you glanced up to find that Sasuke had caught you by your ankle.

"You both are complete idiots," Sasuke said.

"Hey, don't make me pull you off this branch too!" you threatened.

"I'll just drop you."

"No, don't drop me!" you cried.

On the ground, Sakura and Kakashi-sensei sweatdropped.

* * *

The night was warm with a gentle breeze, enough to make the leaves on the trees sway. The moon was just a crescent, shining and illuminating your body. You, Sasuke and Naruto were perched on the very tops of your trees, looking down at the canopies below. You breathed heavily, trying to regain your breath.

Sasuke was standing on the top of his tree, his head bent down and his arms crossed. Naruto was clutching onto the top of his, looking much like a koala bear. You had stuck your kunai into the very top of your tree and were resting one foot on it, the other lying against the tree trunk, that foot being the grip on the tree.

You grinned, shaking the damp hair out of your face and looking over at Naruto. "Naruto, you totally owe me and Sasuke ramen!"

"What!? I totally beat you!"

"Yeah right! I stuck my kunai into the tip of my tree first!"

"Awwww," Naruto threw his head back in disappointment. You stuck your tongue out at him, smiling playfully.

"Let's head back," Sasuke said from the other side, glancing up and smirking.

You looked over to him, smiling. "Roger that."

* * *

"Why do we have to carry _you_, Naruto?" you whined. You and Sasuke were supporting Naruto between you. "I'm tired too."

Naruto mumbled something in reply. Reaching the front door to Tazuna's home, your little group stopped.

"Nyeh, Sasuke, get the door," you glanced over at him.

"You get the door," Sasuke countered.

"Don't be such a baby."

Sasuke glanced over at you. Your eyes locked for a moment as the breeze blew past you, blowing your hair gently around your shoulders. Finally, Sasuke looked away, grabbed the door handle and pushed it inwards. The three of you stumbled inside awkwardly, due to the fact the door was not wide enough to fit the three of you horizontally at once.

When you entered, everyone was sitting at the dining table, Tsunami placing food on the table. Everyone turned to look at you as you wandered in. Tazuna spoke up. "You three are filthy."

"We made it to the top…all three of us," Naruto smirked, struggling to raise his head to look at everyone in the room.

Kakashi-sensei nodded. "Good. Then Sasuke, Naruto, Nakao; the three of you will beginning guarding Tazuna tomorrow as well."

Naruto grinned, his eyes widening happily. He jumped up into the air. "Yes!"

"Ah, no!" you cried as Naruto couldn't keep his balance and he fell backwards, bringing you and Sasuke with him.

"You idiot!" Sasuke scoffed.

You landed on your back, sighing but smiling. Everyone else in the room proceeded to laugh.

* * *

Sitting beside Sasuke, you had scoffed your food down. In fact, Sasuke had even turned a raised eyebrow in your direction several times from your lack of etiquette. Now that the food was all eaten and Tsunami was clearing away the plates, you all sat around the table, content.

"The bridge is almost complete," Tazuna announced. "And it's all thanks to you."

"But don't push yourself too hard," Tsunami warned.

"I've been wanting to ask you," Tazuna glanced at Kakashi-sensei. "Why did you continue with the mission even when I had hidden details from you?"

"Not doing right when you know it is right is a coward's way. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander," Kakashi recited. "Those are the words of the first Hokage."

You listened, watching your sensei with your head resting on your arms that lay crossed on the table top. Both Tazuna and Tsunami seemed impressed by the words. You had heard them before, in the academy.

"Why…" you heard Inari whisper from your right.

You glanced over. His head was bowed and tears were dropping from his face and onto the table. Everyone else looked over as well.

"Why what?" Naruto asked, across the table. He too had been resting his head on the table and glanced up when Inari had spoken.

Inari got to his feet, slamming a small hand down on the table. He glared at you and your teammates. "Why are you trying so hard that you wind up like that!? You can't beat Gatoh's men even if you train! No matter how hard you try to say those good-looking words, weak people are going to lose against strong people!"

You had lifted your head off of your arms and were staring at Inari, mouth slightly open. Your other team members, save Naruto, were just as surprised about the outburst.

"Shut up, I'm different from you," Naruto responded, putting his head back down on the table.

"Shut up!" Inari screamed, causing you to jump in your chair. "Seeing you pisses me off! You don't know anything about this country and yet you butt in! I'm different from you; someone who doesn't know any real pain and laughs all the time!"

You cringed. Naruto didn't even lift his head when he responded. He kept his face shadowed. "Is that why you pretend to be the main character of a tragic play and cry all the time? An idiot like you can just keep crying, you crybaby!"

"Naruto! That was too much!" Sakura scolded.

You disagreed with Sakura but said nothing as Naruto got to his feet and walked out of the room. You watched him leave before slowly glancing over at Inari. His head was bowed and he was crying even harder now, tears streaming down his face. His shoulders were rising in a hiccup motion from his cries.

After a moment, without glancing up, Inari ran from the room. Looking concerned, Tsunami quickly followed. The room was now silent. Tazuna didn't even say anything and only looked to the table top.

Finally, Kakashi-sensei sighed and looked to his three remaining students. "You should probably get some sleep. We have to be up early tomorrow."

"Ummm…" you started, awkwardly.

"What is it, Nakao?" Kakashi-sensei asked, focusing his beady eye on you. Sakura and Sasuke looked to you as well.

You glanced away from all of them, adverting your gaze to the side. Embarrassed, you replied. "I…um…I can't get up…"

You were too exhausted. Your body felt like a ragdoll.

"You're such an idiot," Sasuke sighed.

You turned our head to glare at him but he was on his feet, already moving closer to you. Surprised, you watched as Sasuke slung your left arm over his shoulder. You could see Sakura bristle over his shoulder.

"Thanks…" you mumbled as Sasuke helped you walk to your room.

"Whatever," was all Sasuke said. He didn't say it with an attitude, but more in the tone of "don't mention it". Sasuke just had a different vocabulary. The two of you entered your room and Sasuke helped you over to the bed Tsunami had laid out for you.

"Okay…I can get it from here," you said, pulling away from Sasuke.

Turned out, you lied. The moment you let go of your teammate, you immediately fell forward towards the ground. Actually, since your bed was so close to the wall, you were going to smack your head into the wall first, then hit the ground. But just as that was going to happen, Sasuke grabbed you around the waist.

"You're an idiot," Sasuke told you once again, tugging you away from the wall.

The two of you were so close that your back was almost touching his chest. Your breathing immediately shallowed. You didn't know why, but your nerves were popping, your cheeks growing warm. Sasuke removed his hands from your waist and repositioned them to your shoulders, helping you onto the ground.

As soon as you were sitting on your bed and Sasuke had removed his hands, the air around you was suddenly room temperature again. The sudden change in the air capacity your lungs could hold was embarrassingly noticeable. You could barely bring yourself to glance up at Sasuke.

"Thanks…" you shifted uncomfortably atop your bed.

"Don't hurt yourself trying to sleep," was all Sasuke said before turning his back on you and leaving the room.

You watched his back disappear out of the doorway, your chest rising up and down. It took several moments for you to even realize you'd been insulted.

"Hey!" you yelled to the empty doorway.

* * *

"Please take care of Naruto," Kakashi-sensei asked of Tsunami. "He used his body to the max so I don't think he'll be able to move far today."

It was early morning now and your team, Tazuna and Tsunami were gathered outside. Tsunami was seeing you off, for you were leaving to head to the bridge. Birds chirped above you as the two conversed.

"Are you sure your body is feeling well enough?" Tsunami asked your sensei.

"Yes," Kakashi-sensei assured.

"Bye!" Tazuna said, turning his back to his daughter and leading your team towards the bridge. This was going to be your first time actually seeing it close up.

* * *

"Wh-What is this!?" Tazuna exclaimed.

When the five of you had reached the bridge, several bodies on the ground greeted you. They were construction men. Most of them were dead, and one or two were grasping at fatal wounds, their faces contorted in pain.

As you looked on, mouth agape, a heavy mist began to roll path your group. You took a sharp intake of breath, immediately remembering the distinct feel of the thick mist.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Nakao, he's coming!" Kakashi-sensei warned.

Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke and you surrounded Tazuna, keeping him in the center of your group. Sasuke and Sakura both pulled out a kunai, eyes scanning the mist. You brought out your daggers.

"Kakashi-sensei, this is the Mist Concealment technique, right?" Sakura asked.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi," Zabuza's voice rang all around you. "And you're still carrying around those brats I see. And that one's still shaking, how pitiful."

You gasped as Zabuza clones appeared all around your group. You pressed your back tightly against Tazuna, holding your daggers out defensively.

"I'm shaking with excitement," you heard Sasuke muttered confidently.

"Have at it Sasuke," you heard Kakashi-sensei say.

In a flash, Sasuke had driven his kunai through every water clone that had surrounded you in a circle. As he landed back in his original spot, the clones dissolved to water and splashed onto the concrete ground.

"So, he can defeat the water clones. The brat's improved."

You glanced over your shoulder to see Zabuza standing several yards in front of your group. He had changed his outfit and was no wearing a black tank top and purple legwarmers and arm guards. He was still wearing the bandages wrapped around his face. The tracker ninja boy was standing beside him, still wearing that mask over his face.

"Looks like you have a rival, Haku," Zabuza commented, never taking his eyes off of your group.

"It appears so," Haku said. His voice was as soft as before.

You gritted your teeth together, tightening your grip on your daggers.


	10. Battlefield of Dreams

"So my prediction was correct," Kakashi-sensei commented, watching the two ninja in front of him.

"Let's cut the talk and get down to the ass kicking," you glared. You were now standing on Tazuna's side, now that your team was no longer in a formation. "I want pay back for tricking us like that."

"I'll fight him," Sasuke said, never taking his eyes off of the pair.

"Huh?" your group looked to him.

"He pulled that stupid trick on us…I hate conceited guys like that."

"You're so cool Sasuke," Sakura nearly squealed.

'What!? That's basically what I just said! It's only cool if Sasuke says it?'

Only moments after Sasuke's statement, your opponent leapt into action. Zabuza stayed where he was, but the boy named Haku began to spin rapidly on one heel until he, himself, became like a small tornado. He spun towards Sasuke rapidly, with a speed that made you gasp.

The boy stuck an arm out, trying to stab Sasuke with a senbon (tracking needle), but Sasuke was quick and was able to block the weapon with his kunai. The two struggled against one another, each trying to break through the other's defense. Every time one boy would try and make an attack, the other would simply counter.

"Sakura, Nakao, stay with Tazuna and stay close to me. Let Sasuke handle the boy," Kakashi-sensei instructed.

You and Sakura dashed in front of Tazuna, standing shoulder to shoulder, weapons out, your eyes on Sasuke.

"I don't want to kill you, but you won't back off, will you?" the boy said.

"What are you, stupid?" Sasuke smirked.

"As I thought…but you won't be able to keep up with my next attack; and I have two advantages."

'Two advantages?'

"The first is that the ground is covered in water. Second, I have one of your hands occupied."

You watched in shock as Haku performed hand seals with just his left hand. Your eyes shook. 'He can perform jutsus with just one hand! And he can do them so quickly!'

Haku stomped on the ground with his right foot. All the water on the ground flew into the air, separated and turned into needles made out of ice. A second later, the needles slammed towards the ground. Haku jumped out of the way before they hit.

You knew Sasuke was safe because you had seen his every move. He jumped into the air, avoiding the needles, and took out several shuriken. He threw them at Haku; Haku continually jumping backwards to avoid the shuriken. You watched in amazement as Sasuke disappeared, reappearing behind Haku.

"You're pretty slow," Sasuke smirked.

'When did Sasuke get so quick?'

The two lashed out at each other again, but once again, Sasuke blocked Haku's senbon with his kunai. With his unoccupied hand, Sasuke flicked a kunai right at Haku's face. Haku ducked, but Sasuke was ready and kicked Haku in the head, sending him flying back towards Zabuza, hitting the ground as he did so.

"Looks like my speed's better," Sasuke said, staring down Zabuza and Haku.

"Way to go, Sasuke!" you called.

"You really shouldn't underestimate my team just because I have young students," Kakashi-sensei said, looking to Zabuza. "Sasuke is Konoha's top rookie. Sakura has one of the brightest minds. Nakao possesses and controls the Makase Clan kekki genki and Naruto is the most show-offy, hyperactive, number one loudest ninja."

Zabuza remained quiet for a moment before glancing down at Haku. "Haku, at this rate, we'll be driven back."

"I understand," Haku got to his feet slowly. "It's a shame."

You gasped when you could feel Haku gathering his chakra. It was very impressive; impressive enough for you to start to worry about Sasuke. As Sasuke watched the boy carefully, a cold air swept through the area, making you shiver.

'Why did it suddenly get so cold?' your teeth chattered and you could see your breath in the frigid air.

Haku made a handseal with both hands and from behind Sasuke, ice began to grow off of the ground. It built itself up, forming into a giant rectangle slightly taller than yourself. You watched, mouth hanging open as more began to appear, circling the area around Sasuke and then up, capping off the circle, enclosing Sasuke in a dome of ice…whatever they were.

There were gaps that you could see through, and right now, Sasuke was glancing around himself, teeth clenched. Once the ice had finished forming, Haku stepped forward, straight into one of the ice rectangles! He dissolved into it, his image appearing on the surface of the rectangle, watching Sasuke.

You gasped. 'Wh-What are those? Are they mirrors?'

The mirrors flashed a bright, white light and, suddenly, images of Haku appeared on every single mirror. You could feel your spine prickling. Your instincts were going off, telling you to beware of whatever was going to happen next.

"Kuso…" Kakashi-sensei cursed before running towards the mirrors. Before he got there, however, Zabuza slid into his path, blocking him.

"I'm your opponent, remember?" Zabuza challenged Kakashi-sensei. "Against Haku, your boy is finished."

You gasped from behind Kakashi-sensei, where you had been standing this whole time. Kakashi-sensei looked over his shoulder at you. "Stay there! No matter what happens, do not move from that spot!"

You watched Kakashi-sensei helplessly before glancing to the dome of mirrors. 'But…Sasuke…'

"Now, let's begin," Haku's voice seemed to echo off of the mirrors.

Haku's image raised a hand full of senbon, placed between each finger. He threw them, catching Sasuke in the shoulder…but that wasn't the end. Suddenly, senbon were flying from all over, slashing at Sasuke from everywhere. You couldn't even tell where they were all coming from. A needle sunk into Sasuke's hand, causing his kunai to fly out of his hand and it came spinning back towards you and Sakura, landing into the concrete by Sakura's feet.

Your entire body began to shake as Sasuke's screams pierced the air. Your breathing was coming out in gasps. You looked to your teacher. "Kakashi-sensei!"

"Nakao, do **not **leave that spot; that's an order!" Kakashi-sensei practically shouted at you.

"Don't even think you can save your boy. If you move without warning, I'll kill the three behind you," Zabuza warned.

Kakashi-sensei tensed. Sasuke's screams distracted you again and, desperately, you looked back to the dome of mirrors. All you could see was Sasuke's body, kneeling on the ground, covering his head, and repeating blurs that you assumed were the needles. You swallowed.

"Sakura, stay here with Tazuna."

"What? But Nakao, Kakashi-sensei said not to move from this spot…" Sakura looked over at you.

You stared her directly in the eye, placing your daggers back on your belt, not knowing if you were going to need them. "I'm not going to sit here while my teammate gets cut to ribbons. I have to get him out of there. You need to stay with Tazuna. I'm leaving it up to you protect him."

Before Sakura could protest anymore, you took off running towards the dome. You passed directly by Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza, but Zabuza didn't move to stop you.

"Nakao!" Kakashi-sensei yelled after you.

You pressed on, ignoring him. You had to get to Sasuke, that's all you can think abouut. His screams got louder and louder the closer you got to the domes. You slid to a stop in front of them, standing a foot away from one of the mirrors.

"Sasuke!" you called.

Sasuke peeked out from beneath an arm. You could see blood running down his face and cuts marring his entire body. When he saw you, he panicked. "Nakao, do not come in here!"

"But Sasuke-!"

Sasuke screamed again. You bit at your lips so hard you tasted iron. Grabbing a kunai from the holster around your thigh, you gripped the handle tightly and stabbed at the mirror. The tip hit the surface, but would not penetrate, no matter how many times you thrust the kunai at the mirror, the mirror would act like Plexiglas.

"Dammit!" you yelled, throwing your kunai onto the ground in aggravation.

"Nakao…get…out of here!" Sasuke yelled out to you.

"I'm not going to leave you!" you yelled back, clenching your hands into fists at your sides.

Just then, a hand stuck out of the mirror in front of you. You gasped, taken by surprise and before you knew it, the hand was grasping your wrist. It tugged you forward and you screamed, until you got sucked into the mirror, cutting your scream off completely.

Passing through the ice mirror was not an experience you'd soon forget. Your entire body was so cold it felt like someone was sticking you with needles all over your body. It was the coldest you ever felt and you couldn't breathe, like somebody was cutting off your air supply. And then, as soon as it had started, it stopped.

You tumbled out of the mirror, landing face first onto the cold cement ground. You immediately sat up, on your knees, widely looking around at your surroundings. You were now trapped inside the dome, and it was even colder in here than it had been outside the mirrors; although, you didn't know how that was even possible.

Your eyes fell on Sasuke. Because Haku had pulled you into the mirrors, the barrage of weapons had ceased for a moment. Sasuke was on his knees, bent towards the ground. His shaky arms were slowly letting go of his head. His clothes were ripped, his skin bloody.

"Sasuke!" you breathed, getting to your feet. You quickly ran over to the boy, dropping to your knees beside him. "Sasuke, are you okay?"

"You…idiot. I told you to get out of here!" Sasuke glared at you, sounding furstrated. You glared back. 'Well, I guess he's okay.'

"Gee, I'm sorry. Let me just grab my things so I can waltz out of here and watch you get killed from the other side. Dear god, did Haku hit some brain matter or something!?" you yelled at the Uchiha.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort when the mirrors let out their blinding flash of light again. As soon as they did, you heard Sasuke take a sharp intake of breath, and you took that as a bad sign. Without warning, something was suddenly shredding at your body.

You screamed, moving to protect your head, much like Sasuke had done. You were getting slashed at from all directions and the pain was relentless. It was like hundreds of little razor blades were cutting you up at once, all over your body. You screamed out, mixing with Sasuke's cries.

"Eat this!" you heard faintly.

Slowly, you tried to peek out beneath your arms while still protecting your face. You could see Sakura outside of the dome. She was in the air and had thrown Sasuke's kunai towards the dome. What she had possibly been aiming at, you had no idea. Suddenly, the needles stopped as a hand flashed out of one of the mirrors, grabbing the kunai by its handle.

You slumped towards the ground, resting your searing arms on the ground, and your forehead on your arms. Your body was racked with pain and you were bleeding from all over your body. Slowly, you glanced up. Haku was only in one mirror, instead of all of them. Actually, he wasn't completely in that mirror. His top half of his body was sticking out of one of the mirrors. His masked face was turned in your direction and the kunai in his hand was trained on you.

Sasuke breathed heavily from beside you, watching Haku. He tried to get to his feet but his legs gave out and he fell back down to the concrete. You pushed yourself up.

'Is this…is this really it? It can't be…'

As you watched Haku, something behind him caught your attention. You watched as a shuriken flew straight towards Haku, hitting him in the mask. Your mouth dropped open as Haku fell out of his mirror, onto the concrete outside of the dome. 'That must be…'

A huge blast of smoke erupted from outside of the dome. 'That must be…What an idiot…'

"The show-offy, hyperactive, number one loudest ninja…" Haku muttered.

"Uzumaki Naruto is here!" Naruto grinned wickedly, revealing himself to everyone on the bridge. "Now that I'm here, everything is going to be just fine."

"What…a freaking idiot," you said, finally managing to push yourself onto your knees, sitting on your legs. You glanced over to Sasuke. He was lying on the ground beside you, his body twitching. Your eyes flooded with worry. "Sasuke, are you okay?"

"Alright, let's do this!" Naruto yelled from outside the dome. He put his fingers together in a handseal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. He took out several shuriken and flung them straight towards Naruto, who froze, watching the kunais in fear.

"Dodge, Naruto!" Kakashi-sensei yelled out, but Naruto wouldn't be able to anymore.

However, as the shuriken neared Naruto, Haku flung several needles at them, knocking down each one. Everyone on the bridge watched in shock. Sakura regained her bearings first.

"Naruto, what are you doing!?" she yelled.

"What kind of ninja executes a jutsu right in front of the enemy!? The essence of being a ninja lies in deception! The way you barged in here makes you an easy target!" Kakashi-sensei lectured.

"I just came here to help!" Naruto grabbed at his head, flustered.

"Haku, what is the meaning of this?" Zabuza demanded.

"Please, let me fight him on my own," Haku responded, not turning around to look at his partner.

"You're always too soft on the enemy, Haku," Zabuza said after a pregnant pause.

You frowned. 'This is soft? I'm a damn porcupine!'

You glance down at your body. Reaching for several needles sticking vertically out of your skin, you tugged them out. You gave a gasp of pain upon doing so, and threw the needle aside. Blood welled from the holes, staining your clothing.

'Still…it doesn't seem like he's aiming for any vital points…'

You glanced over to Sasuke. He too, was examining his wounds.

"Well it just looks like I'm going to have to beat you first!" Naruto pointed a finger at Haku.

Kakashi-sensei narrowed his eye. Zabuza cleared his throat. "Remember, you try anything and that old man is dead. Why don't we sit and observe the young ones fight, eh?"

"So you really were working for Zabuza. How dare you trick us!" Naruto glared at Haku.

"I am sorry," Haku bowed his head. "But as your sensei said, the true art of a shinobi is deception. Please do not take it personally."

Sasuke moved from beside you, taking a kunai from the pouch around his thigh. He watched Haku for a second before sending the kunai straight at Haku's face. Without any effort, Haku simple titled his head back at the last moment, missing the kunai. Naruto blinked and look over, like he was just now realizing you and Sasuke were trapped in the mirrors.

"I have not forgotten about you," Haku assured. "I would have preferred it if you had just lain there quietly, but I guess I can't expect that. I'll have to finish my match with you first."

You tensed up as Haku walked towards a mirror. You scrambled to your feet, your mind whirling. What were you going to do? It's not like you could even fight him, you didn't even know how his jutsu worked.

"H-Hey!" Naruto raised a fist.

"Naruto, I will fight you later," Haku promised, stepping into one of his mirrors.

While you were standing, Sasuke was still kneeling on the ground. Haku was standing in the mirror in front of the two of you. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Sasuke reach for a weapon. But suddenly, Haku disappeared from the mirror.

"Over here."

Both you and Sasuke gasped. You whirled completely around while Sasuke just looked over his shoulder to find that Haku was now in a mirror behind you.

'H-How? How is he moving from mirror to mirror like that? I don't see anything!'

All of the mirrors began to reveal images of Haku; you knew what was going to happen next. A flash of light blinded you and the pain ensued. You and Sasuke cried out as you were shredded from every angle by needles. You flew backwards, hitting the ground on your back. Sasuke had flown in the opposite direction.

You moaned, rolling over in an attempt to help yourself up. Your arms shook as you tried to push yourself up. Needles were sticking out of your body and blood was running down the side of your face.

'How is he doing this?' you wondered, finally managing to sit up. You cried out upon doing so, realizing that you had pushed in a needle when you had moved. Shakily, you pulled the needle from your body. Tossing it away, you looked up, breathing heavily. 'Is he using clones and having them throw needles all at once? But if he was using clones, what would be the point in the mirrors?'

You glanced over to Sasuke who was on the opposite side of the dome. He was clutching his left shoulder, concentration stitched onto his face. There were several cuts on his face, one particularly bad one bleeding generously on his right cheek. You looked past him to the mirror behind him.

'Those mirrors are definitely the key to his attack…but how am I going to get rid of them? My kunai couldn't even puncture the mirror…But wait…'

You glanced outside of the mirrors at Naruto, who was staring in shock at you and Sasuke. You chewed on your bottom lip. 'But maybe if Sasuke and I attack from the inside, and Naruto attacks from the outside, we can figure out how these mirrors work!'

"Hey, I came in here to save you!"

You whirled around and Sasuke looked forward to find Naruto squatting behind you. Your face paled and your eye began to twitch dangerously.

"Pretty smart move huh?" Naruto grinned, looking past you to Sasuke. He too, was too stunned to even speak.

"You…IDIOT!" you yelled, grabbing at your hair to keep yourself from punching the boy.

"Don't you even think before you act!?" Sasuke asked, getting to his knees.

"Hey, what's your problem!?" Naruto looked from you to Sasuke. "I came in here to save you and this is how you thank me!?"

"Naruto if you had stayed out there…ugh, forget it! I've had it with your mistakes!" Sasuke yelled.

"And I've had it with your attitude!" Naruto countered.

"Both of you, quit it!" you yelled louder than either of them, clutching your head, shaking it rapidly. This wasn't going to get you anywhere.

"That's it; I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!" Sasuke yelled, getting to his feet.

You hopped to your feet as soon as Sasuke began doing handsigns. You recognized the handsigns immediately; he was going to perform his fireball jutsu.

"Wait, Sasuke!"

Sasuke paused, glancing over at you. You looked him directly in the eye. "Let me use my kekki genki; it'll enhance your fire power."

Naruto glanced up at you cluelessly, still squatting on the ground. Sasuke watched you for a second before nodding once. You took in a breath of air and closed your eyes, whipping out several handsigns.

'Arashi Kamekaze.'

You could feel your kekki genki beginning to work. The water molecules in your body turned into wind and began to seep out of open orifices on your skin. You could feel the current rush around your body. You concentrated, opening your eyes. You could visibly see the wind moving around you. They appeared as white wisps, flowing around you. You gathered up chakra, directing the wind to rush away from your body.

Although neither Sasuke nor Naruto could see your jutsu working, they could feel it. The wind whipped passed them, moving their hair around on their heads. Your wind circled around the dome, keeping a distance between your constant stream of wind and your teammates' bodies.

"Okay, Sasuke, go!" you said quickly, maintaining your wind currents.

Sasuke took in a large breath of air, holding it. He brought his pinched fingers to his lips and blew out. Normally, a fireball would appear, but thanks to your jutsu, Sasuke's fire hit the wind and flared into life. It whipped around the dome, feeding off of your wind, encasing you and your male teammates in a ring of fire. The fire licked up the sides of the mirrors, blocking them from view.

After a moment, Sasuke held out his arm, directing you to cut off your jutsu. You took in a large breath of air and canceled the jutsu. You felt lightheaded and you put a hand to your head. The fire died down slowly.

You and Sasuke gasped. The fire hadn't done anything. Not a single drop of water ran off the mirrors. Naruto got to his feet. "That did do anything at all!"

"Naruto, shut up!" you rounded on him, glaring.

"You'll need a lot more heat than that to melt these mirrors," Haku said, still in all the mirrors. He raised a hand full of needles.

You tensed as the mirrors lit up. A moment later, the shredding feeling plowed into your body. You and your two teammates screamed in unison. The force of the attack knocked all three of you backward, each of you smacking onto the ground side by side. You were between the two boys, Sasuke on your left and Naruto on your right.

Naruto immediately shot up, his cheek bleeding. "Where are the needles coming from!?" He hopped to his feet, glancing at all the mirrors. "We have to find the real one; which one is it?"

"Look as hard as you can but you will never learn the secret," Haku's voice rang through the dome.

"Fine! Then I'll just smash every mirror until I find you! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Naruto, no!" Sasuke shouted, but it was too late.

Naruto's clones jumped towards the mirrors, arms pulled back, ready to punch at the mirrors. You watched, biting down on your lip. If Sasuke's fire couldn't damage the mirrors, there was no way Naruto would be able to break through them. Before any of the clones could even reach the mirrors, they disappeared one by one. You didn't know how; you didn't even see Haku moving, but he must be. The real Naruto fell back towards you and Sasuke, smacking into the ground.

"Naruto!" you looked over at him worriedly.

"I can transport from my mirrors at light speed. In my eyes, you all are moving in slow motion," Haku said.

Your eyebrows crinkled together. Shit. How were you going to beat someone you couldn't touch? How were you going to do beat this special jutsu? You growled. "A kekki genki…"

"What?" Naruto asked, getting to his feet.

"His jutsu is a kekki genki," you said, not taking your eyes off of Haku. "The Sharingan can't even copy this. We have to figure out how to take it down…"

"So what…" Naruto said quietly, gaining yours and Sasuke's attention. His voice got louder as he looked up and glared. "I'm not going to lose here! I've got a dream and no one's gunna take that away from me! I'm gunna be the greatest Hokage!"

"Dreams…" Haku muttered. He paused. "It was never my dream to be a shinobi; it is too painful. I do not want to kill you, but if you keep fighting, I will have no choice. If it means protecting his dreams, I will kill that side of me and become a true shinobi. This bridge will become the battle ground of our dreams. I will fight for my dreams, just like you must fight for yours. Please do not blame me. I fight for someone precious to me. I will face death for him to ensure his dreams. That is my dream, and if I have to become a true shinobi to complete that dream, I will, and I will take your lives."

Your hands clenched at your sides as you glanced at Naruto and Sasuke out of the corners of your eyes. They were watching Haku intently.

_"Dreams for the future…I don't know. I'll figure that out as I go."_

You looked back to Haku. 'Right now…my dream is to get my teammates out of here safe…'

You glanced over to your male teammates. When had they become this important to you? Important enough to fight beside them with your life? You hadn't realized you had been consciously watching your teammates as you stood between them, until Sasuke looked over to you. Your eyes locked and for a moment, the two of you stared at one another.

"Let's do this…" you said quietly.


	11. FriendsI Promise

"Just because I screwed up the first time doesn't mean I'm going to quit!" Naruto announced, moving his fingers into handsigns. "Shadow replication!"

"Stop!" Sasuke tried, but it was too late.

You watched as Naruto's clones, once again, jumped towards the mirrors and they, once again, got knocked down one by one. While you were watching, a sudden breeze hit you and suddenly, needles were ripping at your body.

You cried out, dropping to your knees, grasping at your shoulder. Several needles had lodged themselves there. Sasuke called out as well, falling onto his back beside you. You quickly glanced over. "Sasuke!"

As he struggled to his knees, Naruto dropped down to the ground on your left. He immediately shot back up, undeterred. "Shadow replication!"

This time, Sasuke did not try to stop Naruto. Instead, as the Narutos leapt forward in attack, Sasuke ran forward, kicking some water into the air. You watched Sasuke, confused.

"Can't you see that this is futile?" Haku's voice rang out.

As the Naruto clones began to disappear, you watched the water that Sasuke had kicked into the air. You gasped as you saw it cut apart, completely disappearing before it could hit the ground. Realization struck you.

'Sasuke is starting to see Haku's movements! That's why he kicked water in the air, to be sure it was Haku moving about!'

You turned to look at Sasuke, but just as you did so, something rammed into you, tearing at your chest. You cried out, flying backwards and slamming onto the ground on your back. Naruto landed to your left seconds later, Sasuke on your right.

Sasuke and Naruto immediately got to their feet, and you followed. You grasped the needles in your shoulders and with a yank that made you wince, you tugged them from your skin.

"One more time, shadow replication!" Naruto called.

From beside you, Sasuke began a series of handsigns, then blew a fireball towards the Naruto clones. It hit a mirror and disappeared, but Sasuke's resolve didn't dampen. As Narutos began to disappear, Sasuke tried again, shooting a fireball out towards the dwindling crowd of clones. Seconds later, Naruto flew back to you, hitting the ground and rolling.

"Naruto!" you called, kneeling beside the boy. Grabbing him by the shoulders, you helped him into a sitting position. Grabbing Naruto by the arm, you then pulled him to his feet.

Naruto looked to the image of Haku in the mirror ahead of you and let out an aggravated sigh. "Ugh, so close!"

You looked to Haku as well. It took a moment for you to notice that the bottom of his left pant leg was singed. You sucked in a breath of excitement.

"Naruto, can you still move?" Sasuke asked, turning to the blonde.

"Of course!"

You glanced over to Naruto, chewing on your bottom lip. 'He can't keep this up much longer. I can already tell that he's exhausted and the shadow replication technique uses a large amount of chakra.'

You turned to Sasuke, determined to be of some use. You felt like you weren't doing anything. "What do you want me to do?"

Sasuke turned to look at you. "I want you and Naruto to try to get outside. We need someone to attack from outside the mirrors."

You nodded, accepting the mission. Naruto nodded as well. You saw the mirrors flash and Sasuke began his handsigns. "Go!"

You and Naruto took off in opposite directions. You ran as hard as you could, keeping your attention trained on a particular gap in the mirrors. You heard Naruto cry out and you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to run harder. You felt several needles hit you in the side.

You cried out, instinctually putting a hand to the side. You swallowed hard, looking back to the gap in the mirrors. Your face hardened with resolve. 'I'm not going to lose here!'

You tried running again. The gap was getting closer and closer. You were almost out! Something connected with your chest. You cried out as you flew back to the center of the dome beside Sasuke and Naruto.

"Dammit!" you cringed, getting to your knees. Sasuke was kneeling on the ground, Naruto lying face down.

Before the three of you could discuss any other plans, you noticed the mirrors light up again. Your eyes flashed. That was enough of that. Your fingers rushed through handsigns, your hands a blur. You jumped to your feet.

"Stay close to me!" you yelled to the boys.

Whipping out handsigns in record time, you activated your kekki genki. As soon as the needles came, you exerted a large amount of chakra at once. Your wind flew from your body, spreading out around your teammates. Unfortunately, you were only able to protect your front while flowing your wind around their bodies.

As the needles honed in on your teammates, your wind pushed them back, sending the needles flying harmlessly to the ground. It only took seconds, however, when something barreled into your back. You screamed out as something stabbed you only inches from your kidney and you fell face first onto the pavement.

As you smacked into the ground, your jutsu ended, leaving Sasuke and Naruto defenseless. Instead of a whole barrage of needles however, Haku just knocked into each boy once, knocking them back down. Naruto immediately shot up, looking back at you. You groaned, your body twitching in pain.

"Nakao, are you okay?" Naruto asked, concerned.

You moaned, trying to push yourself up. "Y-Yes…"

You could feel your shirt begin to stick to your back from the blood leaking out of the fresh wound. You shakily pushed yourself onto your knees, wiping at your mouth with the back of your hand. You had busted your bottom lip open when you had hit the ground and you could feel the blood beginning to run down your chin.

"Dammit!" Naruto yelled out, getting to his feet.

Sasuke glanced back at you as you got to your feet. He looked to Naruto. "I need you to try to get out again."

"Okay," Naruto nodded confidently.

You glanced to Naruto. "I can try to cover you, but I don't know how much time I can buy you. I can stop the needles from hitting but if he physically knocks into me, my wind isn't going to help. Without being able to see him I don't know where to reinforce my chakra. If he knocks me down, you're on your own.

Naruto nodded. "Got it."

As Naruto took off running, you plowed through handsigns again. You immediately directed your wind to surround him, like a circular shield. However, Sasuke hadn't informed you he'd be running too and you gasped as he raced away from you and towards the mirrors.

Needles flew towards him. One pierced him in the leg, stopping his movement, then a handful of needles came his way, plowing into the upper half of his body.

Naruto stopped, looking over to his teammate. "Sasuke!"

You immediately looked back to him. You couldn't waste time like this. "Naruto, keep running!"

But as the words left your mouth, something hit you in the side. You cried out as you flew to the side, hitting the ground next to Sasuke. Haku had attacked you, shoving a needle into your side manually. Your hands grasped for the wound, feeling blood seep between your fingers. Naruto hit the ground near you seconds later.

As you struggled to your knees, Sakura's scream pierced the air. You gasped, whipping your head towards the mirrors. You clenched your teeth together. 'Dammit, what is going on? What is Kakashi-sensei doing?'

"Sakura…" you glanced over as Naruto muttered her name. He was lying on his front, looking far too weak to get up. His body was scratched and bleeding, just like you and Sasuke. You gasped seconds later, however, when Naruto rose to his feet. "I'm going to do something about this…let's go."

Naruto sprinted forward, but Haku appeared in the mirror ahead of him. Naruto back flipped, running the opposite way, but Haku followed.

"Naruto, behind you!" Sasuke shouted, but before Naruto could turn around, he was assaulted with needles. He flew onto his back.

"Naruto!" you turned a glare on Haku. 'Dammit!'

"It is impossible to get out of here, I assure you of that," Haku said.

Ignoring him, you and Sasuke ran towards your teammate. Sasuke kneeled down beside the boy while you stayed standing, eyes training on Haku's image.

"Don't waste your chakra like that anymore, that's what he wants us to do," Sasuke told Naruto.

"I…know…" Naruto mumbled, trying to push himself up, but his arms gave out on him and his eyes flickered closed. You cried his name as he fell back to the earth.

You gritted your teeth, looking back to Haku. The mirrors flashed. You acted, activating your kekki genki. You spread the wind around your two male teammates. Haku's needles were deflected again, falling to the ground like raindrops.

Something stabbed you in the back and you fell forward. You cried out as Sasuke looked over to you, eyes wide.

"Nakao, stop!" Sasuke tried to tell you.

"N-No…if I can do something…I'm going to do it," you said weakly, getting to your knees, but you faltered.

Even though it was only for a second, Haku took advantage of your momentary weakness. He sent his needles towards you, faster than you'd be able to act. Sasuke picked up a needle from the ground, sliding in front of you. You watched in amazement as you succeeded in getting to your knees, as Sasuke deflected each and every needle with the one he had picked up.

"Get up, idiot!" Sasuke yelled over to Naruto as the assault of needles ended. He fell to one knee.

"I know! Stop being so annoying," Naruto countered, finally sitting up.

The mirrors flashed. Sasuke hopped to his feet, blocking the needles with his. You stayed on your knees but activated your jutsu. The wind spread out around Naruto, encasing him in a dome. The needles that were sent at you were deflected, but they never seemed to end. Sasuke was panting some feet away from you as he tried to dodge and block the needles.

You could feel sweat forming at your hairline. You had already used your kekki genki several times in the past…well…however long you had been in these mirrors. It felt like an eternity. And the longer you held the jutsu, the more affect it had.

Your kekki genki worked by turning the water molecules in your body into air molecules. This wasn't counting the water in your bloodstream however. Keitaro had informed you of just how far your kekki genki could go and it was possible to turn every single water molecule in your body to air, no matter where the water may be. However, this was extremely dangerous and could kill you in an instant. Only extremely advanced members of your clan could do this.

They of course, could not teach you. Your clan was originally from Sunagakure, the Land of Wind. Your parents had migrated to Konoha when you were three to escape the atrocities of your clan's ways. As far as you knew now, there weren't many members of your clan left. Although you couldn't remember exactly how you learned this, you had found out your clan had suffered a massacre. It was sort of like common knowledge to you. You had probably heard Keitaro say it. You never cared enough to think about it anyway.

But as you held the jutsu over you and Naruto, you could feel your body begin to protest. You were exhausting the molecules in your body. If you didn't stay hydrated, the water molecules in your body would dissipate. The good news was, you'd pass out from dehydration before you could die from overuse of your jutsu. That was, unless you decided to use one last, large burst of chakra. You would be able to access the rest of your molecules in a suicide move.

The down pour of needles finally ended and you canceled the jutsu, falling forwards. Your arms managed to catch the ground, keeping you from hitting it. You breathed heavily, as though you had been running a mile.

"Th-thanks, Nakao," you heard Naruto breathe from beside you. He was still so exhausted. You couldn't even answer him.

You glanced up, looking to Haku in the mirror ahead of you, until suddenly, he vanished. You gasped, goose bumps rising on your skin. Sasuke, on his feet, was wildly looking around himself. "Where did he go!? Naruto, you better not faint on us!"

You got to your feet, slowly glancing around yourself too. You wiped at your chin, flaking off some dried blood.

"I don't need your help…" you heard Naruto mutter before he fell onto his back, eyes closed.

You and Sasuke turned to look at him. You bit down on your bottom lip, reopening your not-yet-healed busted lip. Blood gushed from the wound.

"Looks like that boy has reached his limits," Haku's voice rang throughout the dome.

You and Sasuke glanced up. Haku was in the very top mirror that topped off the dome. Sasuke gritted his teeth, sailing the needle in his hand at the mirror. It bounced off harmlessly and dropped to the ground.

"You move very brilliantly, but you are no match for me," Haku said, holding up a hand full of needles.

He sent them at Sasuke, who managed to dodge. The needles hit the mirror behind Sasuke instead. Haku began to flash from mirror to mirror, making you dizzy. Sasuke's eyes were trying to follow, but his senses were beginning to dull. Finally, Haku picked a mirror. The movement he made was subtle, but you were able to see it.

Just as Haku sent his needles at Sasuke, you ran through handsigns. Your wind flowed from your body and wrapped around Sasuke, protecting him from Haku's attack. You held it for several seconds, already feeling the strain, until something stabbed you in your side. Unfortunately, you had already been stabbed in that side. You cried out and the wind around Sasuke dissipated.

You collapsed to your knees, feeling like you didn't want to move. Your side was searing screaming in pain. You could feel blood soaking through the fabric of your shirt. You slumped forward, resting your forearms against the cold ground. You were exhausted.

"She's reached her limit," Haku commented. To you, his voice was mocking you.

"Sasuke…I'm…sorry," you muttered weakly, falling onto your side, breathing heavily.

Sasuke gritted his teeth together, turning his head back to Haku, glaring. Your fingers twitched, scraping at the concrete ground. 'Naruto's unconscious and I'm useless…I can't let this happen. Sasuke won't be able to protect us forever…'

You were trying to get to your feet, struggling. Just the effort of pushing yourself up was exhausting. Haku raised his hand full of needles, his masked gaze set on you. You watched helplessly as Haku released the needles.

You waited for them to hit, but they never did. Sasuke slithered and arm around your waist and Naruto's. He jumped into the air, landing several feet backwards. The needles implanted themselves into the ground where you had been seconds prior. Sasuke set you and Naruto down gently. Naruto still lay, unconscious. You groaned but glanced up.

"Sasuke…" you gasped. "Sasuke! Your eyes!"

Sasuke smirked. His eyes shone red. His right eye had two black commas circling where the pupil should be, and the left eye had one. You watched in amazement. 'Sharingan.'

"I see. So you, too, possess a kekki genki," Haku observed.

Haku began to flash from mirror to mirror once more, testing Sasuke. His eyes followed every movement. Haku, without stopping then threw a handful of needles straight for Sasuke, but he jumped backwards, several feet away from you and Naruto.

'His Sharingan will begin to predict Haku's movements…' you realized with some sense of relief, glancing back to Haku.

Haku was now standing in one mirror, completely still. He was thinking. Probably trying to decide what to do about Sasuke's Sharingan. It was while doing this that you noticed Haku's head move. It was only a slight movement, but you caught it, and tensed when it was Haku's head, glancing at you and Naruto.

Your blood chilled and unease settled into your stomach. Realization struck you. He wouldn't be able to get to Sasuke, so he was going to kill you and Naruto first. You gulped, your chakra was too tapped out to activate your kekki genki. There was only one thing to do. You had to protect Naruto. It was your turn to help.

Everything happened in a blur. Your ears started to hum and all you could hear was your heart beating rapidly. You slid over to Naruto. You knew you had to protect every part of Naruto, for Haku would be able to just move around you should you only stand in front of the boy. You fell over him, blocking his body with yours. You felt a breeze and squeezed your eyes shut.

You waited, but the pain never came. Was your death so quick it had been painless? Your hearing returned. It was mostly quiet, but a dripping sound was reaching your ears. That was odd…maybe you weren't dead.

You slowly peeled open your eyes. The area in front of you was empty, so you turned around, moving off of Naruto. You gasped in surprise to find Sasuke standing in front of you. You blinked, glancing past his legs to see Haku face down on the cement. You turned back to Sasuke, about to ask if he had killed Haku, but you stopped.

You slowly noticed what the dripping noise was that you had heard. A puddle of red blood was beginning to form under Sasuke, and it was then that you noticed Sasuke was slouched forward, an arm grasping at his abdomen.

"Really…you two…are such a burden…" Sasuke said.

"Sasuke…" you started, but paused as Sasuke turned his head to look at you.

You gasped. Blood was running from Sasuke's mouth. Your felt your heart stop. You glanced back to Sasuke's abdomen as his arm dropped to his side. You would have cried out, if you hadn't have lost your voice. Blood soaked his shirt as his wound bled freely.

"You're…such an idiot," Sasuke mumbled.

Your body shook before you looked back up to his face. You suddenly felt helpless, useless, guilty. Your voice cracked as you yelled. "You're the idiot! Why did you jump in the way like that! I had it covered!"

Sasuke slowly looked forward again, a smirk on his face. "I don't know…"

_"Hey, Naruto, maybe you should get away from Sasuke…"_

_"Nakao," Naruto turned his head to you in aggravated surprise. "You're one of them too!?"_

_You hissed as though the comment burned. "Never!"___

**_Your eyes widened as you found yourself in a lip lock with Mr. Heartthrob. The room went incredibly quiet, all eyes on you. You both quickly pulled away; you screaming and repeatedly rubbing the back of your hand of your lips and Sasuke covering his lips with his, though doing his in a quiet, more dignified manner._**

**_'Sasuke cooties!'_**

_"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Makase Nakao."_

_"What!?"_

**_"Hey! Hey get back here! Get me down!" you yelled, flailing your arms._**

**_"What are you doing?" _**

**_Your eye twitched. "Oh you know, I tie myself up like this when I want to get away. What do you think I'm doing!? Stupid Kakashi-sensei got me with my back turned!"_**

_"If Nakao doesn't give him her lunch, I'll give him mine. If she fails, we're failing too."_

**_"Lucky. And Sasuke?"_**

**_"What about him?"_**

**_"I mean, how is he being on your team? He thinks he's so much better than everyone else. Do you absolutely hate his guts?"_**

**_"What? No. I don't hate Sasuke; but if he got stabbed in the neck I'd probably laugh."_**

_"Sasuke, you dick!"_

**_"Don't be such a baby."_**

_"Sasuke, chillax dude! I got your back."_

**_"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Sasuke asked._**

**_"Why would I know where she is? She must have snuck out after me."_**

**_"We need to go find her."_**

_"I…um…I can't get up…"_

_"You're such an idiot."_

A tear began to pool in your right eye. You clenched your hands into fists and bowed your head, yelling. "You idiot! I didn't ask you to do that!"

"My body just…moved."

You glanced up to find that Sasuke was beginning to sway on his feet. He tipped backwards, falling towards the cement. You gasped, running and catching your teammate before he hit the ground. You caught him so that his head was cradled in your right arm, his body resting against your knees.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke didn't seem to see you. His gaze was unfocused. "I never did…get to kill…Itachi."

You could feel a lump form in your throat. Tears began to start in the corner of your eyes. When you spoke, your voice whispered unevenly, trying to keep yourself from crying. "It wasn't supposed to be like this…"

Sasuke slowly moved his gaze to you. You could see his onyx-colored eyes fading. "What was that stupid thing we used to do as kids?"

A tear ran down your cheek as you whispered. "You remember?"

"Of course I remember…idiot," Sasuke smirked but then his eyes squeezed shut momentarily, showing he was in pain.

Another tear. Slowly, you raised your left hand, extending your thumb and your pinkie outward. "Friends…" you crossed your fingers. "I promise."

Sasuke smirked and his eyes began to close.

"Sasuke, wait Sasuke!" you pleaded, clutching him tightly.

"You…don't…die…" Sasuke gave you one last look before his eyelids slid over his eyes.

You watched Sasuke, mouth slightly hanging open. You could feel tears dropping from your eyes, onto your lips. You could taste the salt. You let out a whimper.

"Sasuke!" you shook the boy desperately. "Sasuke knock it off!"

But the boy didn't move. You whimpered again, before letting out an audible cry. You hugged Sasuke to your body, digging your head into his shoulder. Beneath the faint scent of blood, you could smell early morning forest. He had always smelled like that. Your shoulders racked with sobs and you held your teammate.

"He jumped in the way to protect someone important to him. He is a ninja truly worthy of respect."

You moved your head away from Sasuke's shoulder, hiccupping. Your face was stained with tears, your hair sticking to your cheeks. Haku was facing you, his masked face watching.

"Is this the first time you've seen a friend die in battle? That is the path of a ninja."

Several more tears ran down your face as you gazed at Haku. Your lips trembled, so you shut them. Your chin began to tremble instead. You glanced back to Sasuke. His face, scratched and bloody, brought fresh, warm tears to your eyes.

_"You…don't…die."_

You glanced up again so quickly that tears flew from your face. Your violet-shaded eyes turned a deeper purple as you glared at Haku. Anger rushed into you. A bitter feeling that soaked into your very being; making your entire body feel warm. Your nerves were humming, your hearing zoning in and out.

You clutched the fabric of Sasuke's shirt in your hands. Your voice shook. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"


	12. Not Giving Up

_"Sasuke, why don't you take Nakao and go play," Itachi turned his eyes on his little brother._

_You glanced over to Keitaro who stood beside Itachi. His messy, brown bangs were hanging in his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest. He nodded at you._

_"Come on, Nakao!" Sasuke grabbed you by the hand and you ran from the Uchiha compound._

_"Where are we going, Sasuke-kun?" you asked._

_"It's a secret," he grinned, looking over at you. You grinned back._

_Sasuke brought you into some nearby woods. You traveled for several minutes through the trees until you saw a bridge. It was randomly placed over a small, gently flowing stream. It seemed forgotten about, as the stone bridge was crumbling here and there. Pulling you along, Sasuke led you under the bridge._

_Both of you were so short you could stand up beneath the bridge without hitting your heads. Sidling on the side of the stream, Sasuke suddenly stopped. It was cooler under the bridge, damper. Sasuke turned to you._

_"This is it?" you asked, your voice echoing off of the stone walls._

_"Yeah! I found it!" Sasuke let go of your hand and bent down, retrieving a small, white stone from the ground._

_Getting to his knees, Sasuke drew a stick figure into the stone wall. He added long hair and smiled over to you. "That's you."_

_"That looks nothing like me!" you pouted, sticking your cheeks out._

_Sasuke pouted as well, sticking his bottom lip out in defiance. You took the stone from his hand and drew your own stick figure on the wall. You connected your hand to the new stick figure's. You then added spikey hair to the back of the new stick figure._

_You turned to Sasuke, smiling. "Since this is here, we always have to be friends!"_

_"What? Why?"_

_"Because otherwise the picture will be a lie!" you exasperated like it was obvious._

_Sasuke watched you curiously for a minute before smiling. You then stuck your thumb and your pinkie finger outwards. You looked at Sasuke. "This means friends in another culture."_

_Sasuke copied the gesture, raising an eyebrow. He looked back up to you. "Friends?"_

_You smiled, nodding. You then crossed your fingers, nullifying a promise. "Always. I promise."_

_Sasuke crossed his fingers. "I promise."_

You gazed down at Sasuke's face, tears blurring your vision so much you could hardly see him clearly anymore. His face was paler than usual, and his skin was cold. There were two scratches crossed on one cheek, forming an X. A trail of blood still ran from his lips, though now it was beginning to dry.

"You broke your promise…you idiot," you whispered, hugging Sasuke again.

Carefully, like handling glass, you set Sasuke down on the ground. You got to your feet, feeling numb. You looked to Haku, who was standing, staring at you from beneath his mask. As you watched him, anger bubbled in your gut.

This boy took Sasuke's life, for no reason. Sasuke hadn't deserved this. Your body was shaking, unbeknownst to you. Your hands clenched into fists at your side. "You bastard."

"Do not blame me. We were fighting for our dreams; I did what I had to do for me to keep mine."

"Shut up!" you screamed. "Don't try and justify what you did!"

"I don't need to justify it. It is the way of the ninja. He knew what he was doing when he jumped in the way. He chose to protect your dream instead of his."

Your bottom lip quivered. Fresh tears came to your eyes, but you blinked them away. Haku continued. "Was he your important person?"

You stayed silent, keeping your eyes trained on Haku. Your mind was reeling, playing memories over and over in your head.

_"Friends…always. I promise."_

You looked away, teeth clenching in anger. Your fists began to shake as uncontrollable rage took over you. You looked back to Haku, letting the rage wash over you; fuel you. "Enough talking. I'm going to kill you."

"You cannot beat me."

"Shut up!" you screamed, bringing your fingers together to form handsigns.

Haku moved to step back into a mirror, but somehow, you were faster. Wind rushed from your body and expanded around the dome, blocking Haku from his mirrors. Your eyes flashed.

"You're going to die here."

"You cannot trap me forever. Eventually, you will run out of chakra before then."

"I will kill you before that happens," you growled.

Before Haku could say anything more, you did more handsigns. You took in a breath of air and breathed out. A spark caught onto your wind and fire flared to life. The fire's glow reflected eerily on the mirrors' surfaces. Haku took a chance and dashed through your fire, into a mirror.

"You coward!" you yelled.

Haku said nothing but raised his hand, needles in between his fingers. You readied yourself. Haku shot out of the mirror. You couldn't seem him traveling, but you exerted a large amount of chakra outward, causing your flames to flare up anew; the tips of the flames reaching the top of the dome.

Haku dropped to the ground, seemingly out of nowhere, before he hit you. His clothing was burning and Haku was quickly patting out the fire with his hand. You closed your wind in on him, forming a circle around him, so close the flames almost licked at his clothes. You were about to squeeze him with the fire when he suddenly began to spin rapidly into a human twist, like he had done with Sasuke earlier.

'Sasuke…'

A lump lodged in your throat and you glared. Haku stopped spinning. The velocity that he had created was enough to extinguish your fire. Now it was just your wind flowing around him rapidly. The anger you felt towards Haku was not dissipating, not in the least, but your chakra was.

You grew angrier as you realized your own body was failing you. You couldn't let this happen. You couldn't let Haku live. Not after what he did to Sasuke. And if you didn't kill him, he'd kill you and Naruto. You had gotten Sasuke killed…but you wouldn't let him get to Naruto.

'Even if I die in the process…I deserve it…'

Holding onto your rage and sorrow, guilt and self-hatred, you closed your eyes, summoning up your chakra. Your eyes snapped open and wind flew from your body. It billowed upwards to the top of the dome. Concentrating, you began to spin the wind around and around until a large twister funnel formed. It dropped around you and Haku, encasing you within the twister.

"What are you doing?" Haku asked, glancing around himself at the rapidly swirling walls.

"I'm going to suffocate you," you told the boy. You felt dead on the inside. You didn't even feel satisfaction for what you were going to do.

You were going to pull the air straight from Haku's lungs. You would do so by rapidly spinning your wind around, preventing any real air from reaching the inside of the twister. Then, your chakra would aid the wind in taking the air from Haku. Unfortunately, the same suffocating vortex was going to kill you. He wouldn't be able to breathe in the atmosphere, and neither would you. But it wouldn't matter. You would avenge your teammate no matter what.

You exerted more chakra from reservoirs you didn't know existed. Sweat began to roll down your face as you tried to maintain your chakra extraction. From in front of you, you could hear Haku coughing and beginning to gasp. You too, suddenly realized you were gasping, like you had just run several miles.

You moved your twister around faster and faster, the winds howling. You saw Haku move. You thought he was being to falter, to fall down, but then you realized, he was struggling. Your eyes narrowed, but you couldn't think straight. There wasn't enough oxygen in your brain for you to piece together things anymore.

To your utter surprise, Haku began to move. He was trying to spin again, trying to make his own velocity against yours. You couldn't push out anymore chakra. If you did, you'd die before him. You tried to move your twister inward, making it narrower, but this had the opposite effect. The wind pushed Haku forward and he collided with your body.

The wind cut off abruptly and you flew to the side, landing on the cement. You gasped for air, dry heaving. A shadow casted over your body. You looked up to find Haku moving towards you.

"H-How did you beat…my…" you gasped.

"You almost killed me," Haku stated matter-of-factly. "And I drained most of my chakra to increase my speed enough to escape. But like I said, you cannot beat me."

Haku raised a fist full of needles and flicked his wrist. You rolled away and the needles landed in a straight row where your head and upper body had been moments prior. You tried to get to your feet, but Haku was already atop of you. Just as you had gotten to your knees, Haku tried to stab you in the neck. You ducked and managed to swing your body, swiping a leg underneath Haku's feet.

Haku jumped up, giving you time to stumble to your feet. You were exhausted. You felt weak. Why hadn't you trained more?

You took out your blades, holding them in front of you. You rushed Haku, swiping at him. He held his needles in front of him to block your attack, and the two of you began to struggle against one another.

"You fight valiantly," Haku said. The bastard didn't even sound tired.

"Shut up!" you roared, shoving Haku backwards.

"I can take you to him," Haku tossed several needles your way.

You stumbled to the side, dodging the needles. You shook. "I said, !"

You dashed at Haku, slashing at his neck. He moved backwards continually, dodging every swing of your blades. You closed in again, but hadn't realized Haku moved. Haku raised a foot and connected it with your abdomen.

You gasped, stumbling backwards, feeling out of breath. Before you could defend yourself, Haku was on you. He was so close that your nose was nearly touching his mask. Everything seemed to slow down around you; the world became silent.

You felt something stab into your abdomen. Your hearing abruptly returned and you heard yourself cry out in pain. You watched Haku's mask, mouth hanging open. Your eyes shook. 'Did he…did he just…?'

You suddenly coughed. Pain racked through your body. Blood splattered from your mouth, onto Haku's white mask. Haku withdrew his hand, pulling the needles from your body slowly. You screamed out as he did so, feeling every second of the steel.

As soon as Haku pulled away, you fell to your knees. Your hands immediately grasped at your abdomen. You could feel a warm fluid seeping between your fingers. Blood. Your blood. You slowly looked down at your body. Your shaky hands were completely covered in crimson blood. It was beginning to drop from your hands and was forming a puddle in front of you.

"Nakao!"

'Oh god…Naruto…' you remembered with a start. You had forgotten all about him. Oh no, you hadn't killed Haku. Haku could kill Naruto!

"Nakao!"

You heard running footsteps. You couldn't take your eyes off of your gushing wound. The pain was even more intense now. It was agonizing; a hot, white pain that seemed to shoot all across your body.

'Is this what Sasuke went through…?'

You were beginning to feel sleepy. Was this it? Were you really going to die like this? You hadn't accomplished anything, but you had tried.

'I tried Sasuke…I'm sorry…'

You were falling forward before you even realized it. You didn't even realize it until something grabbed you by the shoulders. You were being tugged backwards. You were on your back. You could see the top of the dome. Then a face infiltrated your vision.

"Naru…" you tried to say but you coughed. You felt blood leak from your mouth. It was getting hard to breathe now.

"Nakao," you could see pain in Naruto's sky blue eyes. He was losing two teammates…how must that feel?

"Naruto…" a tear came to your eye. "Sasuke…he…saved us…"

You coughed out the sentence. You could see Naruto bow his head.

"Why, Nakao?"

"I couldn't…let him…get away with it. Sasuke…" you whispered.

You saw that Naruto was looking at you again, but your vision was going blurry. Your eyes began to close.

'I'm so…tired…'

Your brain knew that if you went to sleep, you'd never wake up. But now that your own mortality was staring you in the face, it didn't seem to matter. It just seemed weird to think you'd never wake up again. Never see Kakashi-sensei or Sakura or Naruto again. You'd never see Kiba again. Or Keitaro…

'Keitaro…'

Another tear escaped your eye. You were leaving him with no one. His parents were gone. His best friend was gone. And now his sister.

A flicker of consciousness hit you. You managed to peer up through your eyelashes. Naruto was still holding you.

"Naruto…" you whispered. You noticed that his eyes were watery. "Can you put me by Sasuke…?"

"What?" Naruto looked visually surprised. His voice was shaky.

"Please…"

Talking was taking effort now. You closed your eyes. Your body was growing numb, so you didn't feel your body move. But you knew you had because when you peeked upwards. You saw your position was moving. It seemed like an entire minute until you were being set down on the ground.

You rolled your head to the side, cheek on the ground. Beside you lay Sasuke. His body was still…so still. Tears flooded your eyes and they ran down your cheeks. Your chest heaved up and down, you couldn't breathe. A gurgling noise came from your throat.

You closed your eyes. 'I can't breathe…'

You couldn't feel the abdomen pain anymore. The rest of your body had gone numb. You were tired.

'Just let go…' you told yourself. 'Just let go.'

Was Naruto still by you? You didn't know. Your eyes were shut and you couldn't open them.

_"I should probably go now, Keitaro-oniisan will worry," you said, getting to your feet._

_Sasuke got to his feet too. "You should come back tomorrow. Itachi-oniisan promised he'd show me how to do that shuriken technique!"_

_You grinned. "I'll be here."_

_You moved in, grabbing your friend in a hug. Sasuke squirmed awkwardly, but when you pulled away, he You didn't even hear the outwards. "Friends…"_

_Sasuke crossed his fingers. "I promise."_


	13. A Promise is a Promise

**_"What the hell happened?"_**

**_"She said she couldn't let him get away with it…"_**

**_"She asked me to put her here."_**

**_ "I don't think it's going to matter."_**

**_"She's lost too much blood."_**

**_"We're not going to give up on her."_**

* * *

_You walked up the Uchiha compound. The wooden steps and door were so familiar now. You could navigate this in the dark as well as you could at your own home. You reached the door and rapped on the wooden door frame._

_You didn't even hear the footsteps on the other side of the door before it opened. A young man stood in the doorway peering down at you. His black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and wisps of hair framed his face._

_"Hello Nakao," he greeted._

_"Hello Itachi-san. Is Sasuke around?" you asked quietly._

_Itachi nodded and stepped aside, allowing you in. You removed your sandals and made your way into the house. You headed straight for Sasuke's room. Its door was ajar and he was sitting on his bed, seemingly examining several kunai. You knocked lightly on the door frame, grabbing his attention._

_"Ohiyo, Nakao," Sasuke greeted, abandoning his project and sliding off of his bed._

_You stepped into the room to meet your friend. As soon as his onyx gaze bored into you, you could feel your eyes beginning to water. Sasuke tilted his head. "What's wrong, Nakao?"_

_A sob escaped your lips and you put an arm over your eyes. You hated when Sasuke saw you cry. He never cried. Without peeking out over your arm, you told him. "My parents are dead."_

_There was a long pause, prompting you to lower your arm. Sasuke seemed surprised, his eyes wide. "How?"_

_You shrugged, shaking your head. You pleaded with your tears to stop. "I don't know. They were on a mission, but Keitaro didn't tell me any details."_

_A look of realization flashed across Sasuke's face. "Oh, that's what Itachi-oniisan and Keitaro-san must have been talking about earlier."_

_Another sob escaped your lips. You were immediately angry with yourself. You were acting so weak. Sasuke was probably going to think you were such a baby! To your surprise, however, Sasuke moved closer, wrapping you in a hug._

**_"I don't need you."_**

_"Hi, can I sit next to you?"_

_You glanced up from your seat. You were sitting two rows above a boy with spikey, black hair. You had been watching him sadly before you had been interrupted. The person who had spoken to you was a boy with a mop of messy, brown hair on his head. On his left shoulder sat a very small puppy._

_Slowly, you nodded. The boy grinned, sliding onto the bench seat beside you. He turned his head to you. "I'm Kiba, and this is Akamaru."_

_The white-furred puppy barked at you. You glanced from him to Kiba. "I'm Nakao."_

_"You should smile! I'm so excited! I just got transferred to this class."_

_You tried a smile. "It's really not that exciting in here."_

_He winked. "That's because I haven't been here."_

_You smiled, for real this time. "Why did you get transferred?"_

_The boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I kind of made fun of my last sensei. He didn't seem to think it was as funny as the rest of the class did."_

_"You shouldn't do that to Iruka-sensei; he'll get mad," you said seriously._

_The boy waved his hand submissively. "I won't. I'm a serious ninja, ya know! I'm gunna be the best in this class!"_

_You smiled coyly. "You wanna bet?"_

_Kiba smiled back mischievously, sticking out his hand to seal the deal._

"I think she's waking up."

"Are you serious?"

You groaned. 'Am I hearing voices…?'

"Nakao?"

You groaned again, keeping your eyes shut. You mumbled. "Five more minutes."

"Get up, Nakao."

"Shut up, Sasuke-"

Your eyes snapped open. You immediately shot up as memories came rushing back to you.

_"You…don't…die…" Sasuke gave you one last look before his eyelids slid over his eyes._

_You watched Sasuke, mouth slightly hanging open. You could feel tears dropping from your eyes, onto your lips. You could taste the salt. You let out a whimper._

_"Sasuke!" you shook the boy desperately. "Sasuke knock it off!"_

**_You felt something stab into your abdomen. Your hearing abruptly returned and you heard yourself cry out in pain. You watched Haku's mask, mouth hanging open. Your eyes shook. 'Did he…did he just…?'_**

**_You suddenly coughed. Pain racked through your body. Blood splattered from your mouth, onto Haku's white mask. Haku withdrew his hand, pulling the needles from your body slowly. You screamed out as he did so, feeling every second of the steel._**

_You rolled your head to the side, cheek on the ground. Beside you lay Sasuke. His body was still…so still. Tears flooded your eyes and they ran down your cheeks. Your chest heaved up and down, you couldn't breathe. A gurgling noise came from your throat._

_You closed your eyes. 'I can't breathe…' _

_You couldn't feel the abdomen pain anymore. The rest of your body had gone numb. You were tired._

_'Just let go…' you told yourself. 'Just let go.'_

You slowly looked to your right. Sasuke was sitting there, cross-legged on the floor. Your mouth hung open. There he was, black hair, onyx-colored eyes, pale skin. He looked so real. This couldn't be. He had died. You had watched him die in your arms. But…what were you doing here?

You slowly glanced down. You were now sitting up in a bed. A blanket had fallen around your lap, covering your legs. You were wearing a white, cotton t-shirt. You placed a hand on your abdomen and pushed gently. The pain of a twisted muscle flashed across you.

You glanced back up. You were in Tazuna's house, in the room you had been sharing with Sakura and Tsunami. You were surrounded by your team. Naruto was on your left side and Sakura was sitting at the foot of your bed. Kakashi-sensei stood just behind her. Everyone had their eyes on you.

You were confused. Had you survived? But how? Or maybe your whole team had died and you were all meeting up in the afterlife. The latter seemed more likely.

"Nakao, how do you feel?"

Naruto's voice dragged your attention to him. He was watching you eagerly, sitting on the floor but leaning towards you. You blinked before responding slowly. "What's…going on?"

"We won!" Naruto grinned.

"So…we're…alive?"

"Of course," Sakura answered, watching you carefully.

Slowly, you turned your attention back to Sasuke. He was watching you simply, as though this was just an everyday occurrence. So he was really here. He was alive. Without warning, you lashed out at the boy.

"You're…such…an…asshole!" you yelled between smacks. You hit him anywhere you could. "How…could…you…do…that!"

"Nakao!" you heard Sakura screech.

You were suddenly grabbed by the shoulders, being pulled away from the Uchiha. It was Naruto, holding you back, concerned. Sasuke rubbed at his cheek, glaring at you. You glared back, breathing heavily. Tears slowly began to blur your vision as you whispered to Sasuke. "I hate you…"

The room was quiet. A tear slid down your cheek and you quickly shook your head, hoping no one saw it. You pulled away from Naruto.

"Well," Kakashi-sensei said after a second.

You glanced up at him, when suddenly, your abdomen began to hurt. You winced, a hand moving to your wound.

"Nakao, are you okay?" Naruto asked, concerned.

Slowly, you lifted up your shirt. Your abdomen was wrapped with bandages. Crimson was seeping through the bandages, soiling them.

Kakashi-sensei moved closer to your bed. "Nakao, I don't think you should move until that's completely healed."

You dropped your shirt back over your wound, looking to your sensei. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days."

"Two days!?" you nearly shouted.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "The bridge is almost done!"

"What in the world happened?" you asked, feeling completely out of the loop.

Naruto quickly filled you in as your team listened. Apparently, Naruto had been left in the dome with Haku, but Haku had disappeared suddenly. He had jumped in front of Zabuza, saving him from Kakashi-sensei's Chidori attack but getting killed in the process. Then, Gatoh and his large group of cronies showed up. Zabuza's arms had been rendered useless by Kakashi-sensei, but he still, single-handedly, wiped out a large amount of hired men and had knocked Gatoh off of the bridge, killing him in the process. He had died too.

The villagers had shown up next, taking care of the rest of Gatoh's men. That group had been led by Inari, who had resurrected courage in the village. Sasuke had woken up then. Although not completely sure, your team had concluded Haku must have missed a vital point by literally millimeters. You hadn't asked, but no one mentioned how you had survived. You were curious, but decided if they hadn't told you, perhaps you didn't want to know? You'd find out one way or another.

"You always just have to have all the attention don't you," you turned back to Sasuke.

"Tch," he rolled his eyes, glancing away from you.

But utter relief flooded through your body. You had really thought you had lost him. It had torn you apart in ways you still didn't understand. And now that you knew he was safe, you were happy. But you still couldn't smile. You were mad at him for making you feel that utter despair. It had been painful. As painful as it had been when your parents had been killed.

"We're going to leave in a couple of days," Kakashi-sensei announced. "Nakao, I think you should rest up until then."

You had no arguments there. Your abdomen was hurting and you were suddenly tired. You nodded.

Kakashi-sensei turned around, headed for the door. Sakura and Sasuke were on their feet next, and too, left. You watched Sasuke leave. Naruto was about to get up, when you thrust an arm out, stopping him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

You looked at him, lowering your arm. Your gaze bored into his eyes. "How am I alive?"

Naruto frowned, squirming uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"

"I should have died back there," you said, never taking your eyes from Naruto's face.

Naruto slowly shook his head. "I don't really know, Nakao. You had lost so much blood…Sakura found you next to Sasuke. She had thought you were dead for sure…but then Sasuke woke up. Apparently he held his hand on your wound, keeping it from bleeding any more. I thought you had already lost too much blood, but Sasuke insisted you were alive. He must have saved your life."

You watched Naruto silently. You were having trouble digesting the information.

"Good thing Sasuke thought of that eh?" Naruto laughed, scratching at his cheek. "Who knew he'd actually be useful?"

"Yeah…" you muttered distractedly.

You let your thoughts dawn on Sasuke. He was alive. He was really alive. There was no suppressing the relief that you felt. The guilt that was now lifted from your shoulders. You felt gratitude, but you didn't know towards what. Fate?

The despair you had felt when you thought your teammate had died had been unbearable. It had been so horrible that even now, though your relief was overpowering, it still could not cast a shadow over that feeling over utter despair and pain. You never wanted to feel anything like that ever again.

You promised yourself. 'I will never let my teammates die. I will die first.'

* * *

_Knock Knock._

You rapped gently on the wooden doorframe of the room Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and Sasuke had been staying in during your time here in the Land of Waves. The room was bare now, for the beds had been packed away, leaving the hardwood floor empty. There was one figure left in the room, and currently they were kneeling on the floor, stuffing things into their backpack.

At the sound of your knocking, Sasuke turned around to see you standing awkwardly in the doorway. He barely spared you a second before looking back to his bag and continuing his activity. You rolled your eyes but shrugged off Sasuke's actions, stepping into the room.

"Hey…" you said carefully, standing just inside the room.

"What do you want?" Sasuke finally asked after a quiet pause.

Ignoring Sasuke's rude manners, you sighed. You took another step into the room. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Sasuke immediately stopped what he was doing and turned around to face you. His eyes searched your face, trying to contemplate your words. Your eye threatened to twitch. All you said was sorry. It's not like you were asking him out on a date. _Then_ he could be legitimately concerned about your health.

"For what?" Sasuke finally asked before turning back to his backpack. He struggled with clasping it shut.

You squirmed, shifting your weight continuously on each foot. "For hitting you the other day. You know, calling you an asshole and all…"

"What else is new?"

You smirked, running a hand through your bangs. You hardly noticed your body relax. "Regardless. But don't…don't fake your death again. That's just way too much drama for me to handle. I'm already too overloaded with drama from Strawberry Shortcake and Naruto."

Sasuke finally succeeded in closing his backpack with a _snap_. Swinging it over one shoulder, he stood to face you. His facial expression was passive like usual, his body language revealing his lack of concern. "That's your problem."

Your eye twitched as Sasuke moved to pass you, headed for the doorway. Your eye twitched, raising a fist as he did so. "I'll make it your problem!"

With that promise, you rushed into the hallway after the boy.

* * *

"Thank you all, so much," Tazuna said. "Without you, this bridge never would have been completed."

Your team was assembled in a bunch, standing at the entryway of the bridge. Nearly the entire village had come to see your team off. Tazuna, Tsunami and Tazuna were at the front.

"Have a safe trip," Tsunami smiled warmly at each of you.

Inari stepped forward, walking over to Naruto. His eyes were watery and wide as he tried not to let the tears slip from his eyes. He was sniffling. "I guess this is goodbye…"

"I guess so…" Naruto responded. His voice was shaky and his eyes were also beginning to water.

"You can cry," Inari ran the back of his hand beneath his nose.

"I'm not going to cry! You cry!"

"I don't cry! You cry!"

You watched as both boys turned away from each other, tears streaming down their faces. You sweatdropped.

"Well, I guess we should be going," Kakashi-sensei announced, glancing wearily at Inari and Naruto.

"_Goodbye! Have a safe trip! Thank you!_" the villagers called out as your team turned your backs on the Land of Waves and began your long journey across the bridge.

The bridge was really rather nice now that it was completed. Your team walked in a horizontal line starting on the left with Sakura, then Sasuke, you, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei.

"Nyeeh, Sasuke, how about a date when we get back?" Sakura tried no sooner after you had begun your journey.

You rolled your eyes, grasping the strap of your backpack.

"No thanks," Sasuke replied, never taking his gaze from the direction ahead of you.

Sakura's face fell in utter disappointment. You tried not to laugh and covered it up by pretending to clear your throat…loudly.

"Sakura, I'll go on a date with you!" Naruto offered excitedly, practically shoving you out of the way to get a good look at the kunoichi.

"No way!" came Sakura's immediate response.

"Aww…" Naruto looked down to the ground in disappointment. He kicked a pebble in frustration.

"Naruto, you can't afford a date with Sakura. She's too high maintenance; you'd have to buy some black hair dye, some hair gel and eyeliner for good measure. Besides, you owe me and Sasuke ramen," you reminded the boy, smiling over at him.

"What?" Naruto looked over at you, despair written all over his face. You swore you nearly saw tears in his eyes.

"Don't think I forgot," you stuck a finger out at the boy. "And I mean Ichiraku ramen, none of that instant crap."

"What!?"

"Hey, a bet is a bet," you replied seriously.

Naruto grumbled something, glancing down at the ground. Just as he did so, his foot stepped atop the pebble he had kicked only moments ago. As he did so, the boy slipped, flailing his arms about as he fell face-first to the ground. Naruto had attempted to grab onto you as he fell, but you dodged out of the way.

Your team stopped as Naruto lay on the ground. You nudged him with a foot. "Come on, I'm hungry."

A muffled curse met your ears.

You put your hands on your hips. "Just for calling me that, you owe me two bowls of ramen. Sasuke, what kind will you be getting so I can inform Naruto?"

You glanced over at Sasuke, who was watching you and Naruto like you were children. Before he got the chance to answer, if he was going to answer at all, Naruto shot to his feet. He mouth was gaping open and closed, like he wanted to say something, but appeared too flustered to do so.

You held up an index finger up, stopping the boy before he could even start. "I want two bowls of beef ramen. Sasuke here will have chicken since I think he has a thing for birds. You know, with the hair and all. Now, to the ramen stand!"

Naruto groaned, defeated.


	14. The Chuunin Exams

"Wake up!"

You groaned as something came in contact with your head. You swatted at air, keeping your eyes sealed shut. You expected something else to hit you in the head, but when nothing did, you felt sleep pull at you again. Your bed was so soft and warm. You could lay here all d-

Your mattress was yanked upwards, causing you to tumble on to the ground. You were immediately awake, scrambling to your knees and holding your head. You glared over the bed at Keitaro as he replaced the mattress.

"What the heck is your problem?" you rubbed your head.

"I said wake up," Keitaro said simply. He walked over to the window in your room, pulling open the brown, satin curtains. Light rushed in, bathing your room in sunlight. You hissed, throwing an arm in front of your eyes.

"For god's sake, Nakao. You're going to be late," Keitaro frowned over at you, hands sternly placed on his hips.

"And so is my sensei!" you glanced over to the clock on your nightstand, reading the red numbers. You growled, glaring over at your brother. "He said meet up at eight! You woke me up two hours early!"

"It's seven-thirty…"

"FINE. An hour and a half early," you let out an aggravated sigh, getting to your feet. You yawned, rubbing at your sleepy eyes.

Keitaro said nothing but rolled his eyes before leaving the room. As he closed the door behind him, you spit your tongue out at the closed door. Pouting, you slouched over to your dresser, grabbing out your clothes and headed into the bathroom.

**-Twenty Minutes Later-**

"It's about time," Keitaro lectured as you wandered down the stairs that connected to the dining room. He was sitting at the table, paper laid out in front of him.

You glared before pointing a finger at him accusingly. "Whatever. Don't _you _have somewhere to be?"

"Yes," Keitaro said, getting to his feet. "I have to meet with the Hokage."

"For what?" you asked, watching as he made his way to the front door, slipping on his black ninja sandals.

He glanced up, one hand on the doorknob and winked at you. "It's a secret."

"What?" you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. Keitaro didn't keep secrets. Not that you were aware of. He usually gave you a brief, general description of any missions or meetings he was assigned to join.

Keitaro flashed you a devious smile before slipping out the door. Your eye twitched.

* * *

Kakashi-sensei had assigned your team to meet on a bridge close to town. This meant you were going on missions today, not training. Otherwise, he would have designated you to meet in squad seven's usual training clearing. When you finally reached the bridge, you found that your three teammates were already there.

Sasuke was furthest away, leaning up against the red railing of the bridge. His back and elbows rest on the railing. He was staring off into the distance, bored. Sakura was to his right, closer to where you were entering from. She, too, was against the railing, but slouched. She was clearly agitated with Kakashi-sensei's absence. Naruto was on her right, sitting on the ground. His head was pulled back and he appeared to be sleeping.

You didn't even bother to greet your teammates as you stepped onto the bridge, and they didn't even bother to acknowledge your existence. Things had been particularly…awkward, since you got home from the Land of Waves. Especially between Sasuke and Naruto. There appeared to be some awkward tension between you and Sasuke as well, but you just tried your hardest to ignore it.

You, Sasuke and Naruto had yet to discuss anything that had happened on that bridge in the Land of Waves; and something told me you never would. It was like the three of you were just trying to pretend none of it had ever happened.

_"Naruto…" you whispered. You noticed that his eyes were watery. "Can you put me by Sasuke…?"_

_"What?" Naruto looked visually surprised. His voice was shaky._

_"Please…"_

Your face flushed and you glanced down at your feet, embarrassed. This was probably a good thing. There was nothing worth remembering from that anyway. You didn't glance up until _poof_!

"Good morning, everyone."

You glanced up to find that Kakashi-sensei had finally joined your group. He stood in front of your team, smiling beneath his mask. "Sorry I'm late. Today, I got lost on the road of life."

"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura shouted, pointing fingers at your sensei accusingly.

"Kakashi-sensei! What kind of missions are we going on today!? I need a really big one! One that shows my way of the ninja!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"Naruto, remember what happened the last time we did that?" you asked, eyebrow raised and arms crossed over your chest.

Oh wait, of course not. You were all trying to forget your mission to the Land of Waves. Naruto didn't respond to you, however. Instead, he craned his neck to peer over at Sasuke. You raised an eyebrow as Sasuke noticed he was being watched. He stared right back at Naruto.

"I wanna say something like that!" Naruto suddenly cried out of nowhere, punching an arm into the air and almost causing you to jump in surprise.

* * *

Today's missions were boring and tedious; just like every D-ranked mission. You had several to complete and you were only on your first one. Apparently, a middle aged, cranky woman was too lazy to weed her own garden and it was your squad's job to do it for her. You each sat in a different section of the large garden, a basket on your side and a bunch of weeds to pull.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura's voice asked from somewhere behind you.

Plucking a rather large weed out of the ground and depositing it in your wicker basket, you glanced over your shoulder. Naruto was closest to you and was sitting on his backside, staring pensively at the weeds around him. He then shot a glare over at Sasuke, who was trying to pick weeds while retaining his dignity.

Naruto scowled, then set to ripping up everything in sight in a frenzy. Every plant, weed or not, was subject to his onslaught and soon, stems and weeds and dirt began flying everyone. You threw your arms in front of your face, protecting it from the debris.

"Naruto, knock it off!" you shouted.

You were beginning to grow concerned about Sasuke and Naruto's rivalry. Lately, it had been getting way too out of hand. If Naruto couldn't even handle Sasuke picking more weeds than him, how was your team ever supposed to get along? What if you got another C-ranked mission? God forbid Sasuke take out a few more ninja than Naruto. Good lord, by the end of the day, you'd have one less teammate. And you knew what teammate that would be.

"Hey you!"

You watched as the, rather large, woman you were weeding for, marched up to Naruto. Her face was scrunched up in anger as she stopped in front of the blonde, glaring. Naruto got to his feet, grinning widely. "I got all the weeds picked for you ma'am!"

The lady looked down, her body trembling. You bit your lip as her hands clenched into fists at her sides and she squeezed her eyes shut. You feared she might actually have an aneurism.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, finally sensing her distress.

"You picked all the weeds…along with the herbs I was growing!" the woman finally shouted.

Naruto cried out in surprise as the woman aimed several punches at him. You sighed, turning back to your own section and plucking another weed. As Naruto got the life beat out of him, you sighed, depositing the weed into your basket. "I'm bored."

* * *

Your next mission was a little less boring, but not by much. You and your teammates were standing in a flowing river, pants rolled up to your knees and large baskets strapped to your backs. You were using pokers to collect trash out of the river and depositing them in your basket. Kakashi-sensei, in the meantime, was ashore, sitting in the grass against a tree and reading his little orange book.

You stuck your stick into the water, catching a soda can that was floating by. You were depositing it in your basket when you heard a large splash.

"Ahhh! Help me!"

You whirled around to see Naruto had fallen down and was being swept downstream by the river's current. Downstream towards a very large waterfall.

"Naruto!" you yelled out, eyes wide. If there were sharp rocks at the bottom, he'd be dead for sure.

You dropped your poker and ran towards the blonde. He flailed out a hand, trying desperately to catch onto yours. You held onto a large rock, keeping yourself from being swept away as you tried to grab the boy. Your fingers touched momentarily, but they were slippery and Naruto failed to grab hold.

"Nakao!" Naruto yelled as he flew off the side.

"Naruto!" you cried, about to rush over to the edge of the cliff. That was, until you noticed that Sasuke had tied a line to a tree and had caught Naruto just as he had fallen. You let out a mushroom sigh in relief.

* * *

Late afternoon saw your last mission. This one was, by far, the best of the day. Your team had been assigned to walk dogs. Sasuke was walking a little wiener dog while Sakura walked a type of poodle mix. You were walking a small Pomeranian. Her name was S'mores and she was a happy little dog. She was hyperactive, always trying to run way ahead, but she only succeeded in choking herself as you held the leash tightly.

"Hey! No! Don't go that way!"

You glanced over. Naruto, of course, had taken the largest dog; a large bull dog. Your team stopped and watched as the dog, bigger than Naruto, was dragging Naruto with little effort towards a fenced off field. A quick glance at the sign with bold, red letters reading **WARNING**, told you it was a mine field.

"He just had to get the big dog," Sakura sighed.

"Bakka," Sasuke agreed.

"Do you think maybe we should have stopped him from taking a dog bigger than him?" you asked, glancing over at Sasuke. He was to your immediate left.

Neither Sakura nor Sasuke said anything as the dog neared closer and closer to the chain-linked fence. He was headed straight for a hole in the fence.

"Stop! We're not supposed to go in there!" Naruto yelled, desperately digging his heels into the ground in attempts to stop the dog, but failing miserably.

You winced as Naruto and the dog disappeared behind the fence and explosion after explosion began to light up. Red flames and dark gray smoke began to fill the area, blocking out your view. Your team waited several minutes for the smoke to dissipate.

When it did, you saw that quite a few trees had been blown apart. Fortunately, Naruto was alive. He sat on the ground, seemingly knocked into shock. He was covered completely in soot and he appeared to be breathing out smoke. The dog licked at his face.

"What an idiot."

* * *

You were more than happy when your crappy missions were done for the day. You could only handle so much of squad seven per day and you had long past reached your quota. You just wanted to go home, maybe practice some weapon combat, eat, bath and fall asleep. Was that so much to ask for?

Your team was returning from your last mission, walking horizontally on a back road. You and Sasuke were supporting Naruto between you, who was still out of commission after the mine field. Sakura was on Sasuke's side, hands on her hips, glaring over at Naruto. Kakashi-sensei was wandering a slight ways behind your group, his book still open in front of his face.

"This wouldn't have happened if you weren't so reckless, Naruto," Sakura scolded.

"You just need help all the time," Sasuke smirked, mockingly.

Naruto reacted before you could. He pushed forwards, away from you and Sasuke with such velocity that you stumbled backwards. You managed to stay upright, but you glanced up to Naruto, glaring. He had spun around to face Sasuke, shaking a fist angrily at him.

"Uuugh Sasuke!"

Naruto made to lunge at Sasuke, but Sakura suddenly cut in front. "If you don't knock it off, I'll finish you off."

"You guys, knock it off!" you complained, walking the several steps to stand right next to your team members. "I'm so sick of this."

"I agree. What happened to teamwork?" Kakashi-sensei asked, sounding more like a rhetorical question as he stood a slight distance away, glancing up from his book.

"Yeah, yeah! And it's always you messing up the teamwork, Sasuke! You always stick your nose into everything!" Naruto yelled.

"That's you, idiot," Sasuke glared.

"Alright, the both of you, stop it now," you demanded, stepping between Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura was still there too, but she wasn't very threatening.

"Nakao, how come you always take his side!?" Naruto complained, looking legitimately hurt.

"I'm not taking anybody's side!" you exasperated, throwing your arms into the air. "But I'm sick of having a headache every day when I get home! It's bad enough I have to deal with Sakura's face every day."

"What!?" Sakura rounded on you, fuming. Her face was actually flushed with heat. "Nakao, you're such a bitch!"

"_Me_! What about _you_!?"

Kakashi-sensei sighed as he watched his team argue. Sasuke with Naruto and you with Sakura. Just as fists were about to fly, Sasuke suddenly separated from the group.

"I'm sick of this. I'm going home," Sasuke announced, turning his back on the team.

You and Sakura immediately stopped arguing. You glanced over your shoulder to Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei took this moment to interject. "I think we should call it quits for today. I have to turn in these reports."

The words had barely left your sensei's mouth when Naruto began yelling. "See, Sasuke! You're ruining the missions and this team!"

Sasuke stopped and turned around, watching Naruto coolly. "You do that on your own. If you want to actually be useful, then become stronger than me."

Naruto's mouth opened slightly, as though he was dumbstruck. Sakura, too, was completely silent and you watched her shake gently. Was she really that afraid of these two?

"You two are giving me an aneurism. I'm leaving," you finally announced.

You had had enough of this squad. You were sick of always having to listen to Sasuke and Naruto fight. You were sick of Naruto being so hot-headed and sick of Sasuke baiting him. You were sick of Kakashi-sensei never intervening and always sitting around reading his book. And you were sick of Sakura because she was Sakura.

A poof from behind you told you that Kakashi-sensei had left. Sasuke glanced at you, then turned his back on you, leaving again. You waited for a second, contemplating your options. The way Sasuke was walking was the quickest route you could take home, since you lived on the outskirts of the village. If you took another route, it would take you at least twenty minutes longer to get home.

As you milled over your decision, Sakura ran past you, after Sasuke. "Nyeh Sasuke, how about we train together?"

Sasuke stopped, not even bothering to glance back at the girl. "Honestly, your abilities are worse than Naruto's. If you spent your time training instead of bothering me, you could actually learn a jutsu or two."

You let out a low whistle. 'Damn. He sure told her.'

Sasuke was beginning to walk again, but you being a smartass, you couldn't let that go. You just had to say something. "What about me? Don't you have something to say to me?"

Sasuke stopped and looked over his shoulder, glaring at you. You watched him expectantly, interested to hear your critique. Instead, he only glared a second longer, then turned his back on you again, walking away. You blinked, your mouth dropping open. What the hell? You knew you were awesome, but you didn't know that Sasuke had known that!

Sakura turned around, glaring daggers at you. You noticed after a second then glared back at her. "What?"

"I'm on to you, Nakao," Sakura walked over to you, poking a finger into your chest.

You hissed and stepped back. Glaring, you held up one finger. "Rule number one: never, ever, ever touch me."

"God you're so annoying!"

"And you're pink!"

"You're such a child!"

"_You're _the one poking me in the chest, you pedophile!"

Sakura suddenly lunged at you, hand pulled back. Your instincts set off. You dodged the hand aimed at your face and rammed a knee into her shin. She cried out and fell towards the ground, where you quickly grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. You sat atop the girl, holding her wrists together with one hand and pushing her face into the dirt with the other.

"You idiot," you glared down at her. All humor had left you now. Now you were just furious. "Did you honestly think you could lay a hand on me?"

Sakura did not reply but struggled beneath you. You let her do so for a minute before pushing off of her. She got to her knees as you turned your back on her and Naruto. Naruto had been watching the whole ordeal with his mouth hung open, eyes wide.

"See you tomorrow, Naruto," you said simply before taking your leave.

You took the way Sasuke had taken, figuring you wouldn't be running into him now. You felt tired now. Your team literally wore you out. They were so childish, so immature, so selfish. Honestly, how hard was it to do a day of chores, aka easy missions, without getting into one fight? You had managed it with Sakura. You bet Kiba didn't have this much trouble with his team.

'Kiba…'

You hadn't seen your friend in a very long time. Since before you left for the Land of Waves. You should probably pay him a visit. He could always make you laugh. Would he still be training now? You suddenly stopped, trying to decide what time it was. In fact, you had been so distracted with your thoughts you hadn't even been paying attention to where you were.

You glanced around yourself, barely paying noticing that you were entering the main market section of the village when something suddenly grabbed you around the waist. You immediately screamed out, flailing and trying to kick your assailant in any place you could reach. You felt your heel make contact with a shin.

"Ow!"

You stopped struggling and blinked. That voice…

"Kiba!" you squealed as you whirled around, for he had let you go when you had kicked him.

He was pouting, rubbing at his shin. "What the hell, Nakao?"

You scratched your cheek sheepishly. "Sorry. I thought I was being attacked."

"Well I'm glad to see you won't be kidnapped by anybody," Kiba mumbled.

You grinned and slung an arm around your friend's neck, pulling him against your side. "Oh quit being such a baby. You're fine."

"So where the heck have you been?" Kiba asked, slithering an arm around your waist to give you a quick hug.

The two of you began to walk aimlessly. You still had your arm slung around Kiba's shoulders as you walked, for you were nearly the same height. You shrugged the shoulder of your unoccupied arm. "Meh. I only got back a week or two ago. We've been busy doing crappy missions."

"Yeah, us too," Kiba sighed.

"I was just about to come find you," you told the boy, glancing over at him.

"Oh, missed me too much huh?" Kiba grinned.

You rolled your eyes. "Oh yes, I simply die without your constant presence."

You and Kiba shared a laugh, leaving you momentarily distracted. In just that second, you suddenly rammed into something, catching your attention. You stumbled back, glancing up to see you had run into someone's back. They turned around to face you.

The subject in question was a male, maybe a year or two older than you. He was dressed completely in black, including a black hood that covered his head. Purple paint decorated his face in lines. On his back was, what appeared to be, some kind of mummified pot. What was odder, however, was the headband wrapped around the boy's forehead. He was from the Village Hidden in the Sand…where your clan was from. The boy glared down at you.

"Sorry," you apologized, Kiba at your side, but your arm no longer around his shoulders.

"You ran into me," the boy stated.

You shifted your feet, confused. "Yeah…sorry…"

Suddenly, the boy's arm flashed out at you and a gloved hand grabbed you by the collar of your shirt. Kiba cried out in protest as the boy lifted you up by the collar of your shirt, effortlessly. You swung your legs, trying to kick the boy, but he was taller than you and your feet couldn't reach him.

"Stop it, unless you want to get in trouble again," a girl on the boy's left muttered, glancing around herself nervously.

You hadn't noticed her before. She appeared to be about the same age as the boy. She had blonde hair pulled into four ponytails, two on the top of her hair and two by the base of her neck. She was wearing a pink, what appeared to be a, dress that started at her shoulders and ended mid-thigh. A red sash was tied around her waist. On her back was a long object that was nearly her height. It was thin and at a glance, you couldn't figure out what it was. She wore the same headband around her neck.

"Let her go," Kiba demanded, sounding incredible angry. You didn't often hear that tone in Kiba's voice; not even during the worst fights between him and his older sister.

"Nakao!" you heard Naruto's voice.

There was the sound of running footsteps from behind you, though you couldn't turn around and look. Obviously, Naruto was there, and you felt Sakura's presence too. Then there were…one…two…three others. Their chakras weren't familiar and very faint.

From your left, you could sense movement; Kiba was going to strike. Just as he was about to do so, however, an object came sailing towards you from your right. It was so quick it was barely a blur and almost quicker than you could calculate, the object whizzed into the boy's hand. He cried out in surprise as blood squirted from his hand, and you fell to the ground on your backside. You winced, rubbing at your side while everyone looked to their right to see where the object had come from.

It was Sasuke. He was sitting up in a tree, staring down at the two newcomers. He was tossing something up and down in his right hand…pebbles. He had tossed a pebble at the boy's hand.

"What are you doing in another village?" Sasuke glared, crushing the pebbles in his hand. He opened the hand, letting the pebble dust blow into the wind. "Get lost."

While everyone was concerned with Sasuke and Sakura was swooning at him, Kiba paid no mind and ran over to you. He quickly grabbed you by the hand pulling you to your feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes critically scanning you for wounds.

"I'm fine," you assured, rubbing at your tailbone for a second before glancing up at Sasuke.

Kiba looked sourly up at Sasuke. "What a show off."

You glanced back to Kiba at the odd influx of bitterness in his voice, but agreed with a mumble. "You have no idea."

What was Sasuke doing here anyway? You thought he was going home.

"Get down here you little punk so I can rip you to threads!" the boy yelled up at Sasuke angrily.

You watched, alert, as the boy reached for the object on his back. He brought it in front of him, setting it on the ground. It rose to just above his waist. The bandages covering it began to unravel.

"Kankuro, no! Don't use that here," the girl hissed.

"Kankuro. Stop."

You glanced back up to Sasuke. His head was turned, surprise written on his face. Hanging upside down on the branch above Sasuke's, was another boy. His spikey hair was a deep crimson color. He too, was wearing a large object on his back. It appeared to be a gourd, held in place by a sash that ran diagonally across his chest. That was where you found the Sand headband.

At the sight of the boy, the girl began to fidget uneasily. The boy in black nearly began to shake in…fear? "G-Gaara…?"

You looked back to the boy named Gaara. Two things interested you about Gaara. Number one was his eyes. They were a very interesting sea foam green color. Very beautiful. But his eyes were outlined, thickly, with black. It looked almost as if he had taken a whole thing of eyeliner and smudged it around his eyes. Secondly, Gaara appeared to be your age; younger than the other two ninja; who you guessed were his teammates. So why was he the one in charge?

_"…In this world, there are kids younger than you, but stronger than me."_

'Hmm…'

"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara said to the boy named Kankuro. "What do you think we came to the Leaf Village to do?"

"L-Listen…Gaara…" Kankuro stuttered. "Th-these guys-"

"Shut up. I'll kill you," Gaara's voice never changed as he kept his unwavering gaze on Kankuro.

Kankuro and his female companion seemed to visibly shake in fear. The blood in your veins chilled. This kid wasn't kidding around. This was insane. Who the hell were these guys and what were they doing in your village?

"G-Got it! My-my mistake!" Kankuro's voice seemed to plead. "S-Sorry. So sorry."

"Apologize to them," Gaara demanded.

Kankuro slowly turned his head to face you and Kiba. Fear was written all over his face. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Kiba stepped in front of you, holding his right arm out as if to keep you behind him. Which was strange. "Forget it."

A noise brought your attention back towards Sasuke. You watched in surprise as, what appeared to be, sand, began to flow around Gaara, swirling around him much like your wind did. The sand made a sort of hissing sound as it did so. A moment later, he was gone. Right in front of you, beside the other two Sand ninja, the sand reappeared, revealing Gaara.

"Let's go; we didn't come here to play around," Gaara addressed Kankuro and the kunoichi. They made to turn their backs on you, when Kiba stopped them.

"Wait."

You glanced over at your friend, tugging on his sleeve. You hissed in his ear. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kiba paid no mind to you, making you huff in frustration. You subconsciously noted Sasuke presence drop down beside you.

"You're from the Sand Country. What are you doing here?" Kiba demanded, revealing nothing but confidence.

"Talk about living under a rock," the girl smirked, pivoting to face your group once more.

"Don't you guys know anything?" Kankuro sounded smug.

"Here's my passport," the girl retrieved a small, pocket-book looking object and flipped it open. Indeed, her picture was on the passport and skimming through it quickly, you found that her name was Temari. She continued. "You are right; we're from the Sand Country. But since you don't know, we're here to take the Chuunin Exams."

'Chuunin Exams!?' you mouth dropped slightly. Konoha was hosting the Chuunin Exams? Why the hell hadn't you heard of that?

"Chuunin Exams? What's that?" Naruto asked cluelessly from somewhere behind you.

"You mean you really don't know?" Temari smirked, amused.

You felt a flash of embarrassment. You, of course, knew what they were. But Naruto…ugh. How would he ever become Hokage if he had no idea what the hell he was talking about half of the time?

"Uh boss…if you take the Chuunin Exams, you can go from genin to chuunin."

You glanced behind yourself for the first time. Behind you stood, of course, Naruto and Sakura. The other three presences were Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. They were three, small academy students who worshipped Naruto. They often tried to get him to play 'ninja' with then. How a ninja plays ninja still remains a mystery to you. It was Konohamaru who had spoken; he was the Hokage's grandson.

"Really!? I should take that too!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

You sighed. You could feel a headache coming on. The three Sand ninja began to walk away again, before Sasuke stepped in front of you. He called out to one of the ninja. "Hey you, what's your name?"

Temari turned around, blushing. "You mean me?"

"No, the kid with the gourd," Sasuke pointed. You looked to him, confused. You had already figured out the boy's name was Gaara. Why was your team so stupid?

The 'kid with the gourd' turned back around. "Gaara of the desert. I am quite interested to know your name as well."

"Uchiha Sasuke," your teammate responded, smugly.

You rolled your eyes before you were suddenly barreled into. You fell to your side, knocking into Kiba, who caught you. Naruto had dashed in front of you, grinning and sticking a thumb into his chest. "Hey hey, I bet you're dying to know my name."

"I couldn't care less," Gaara responded before turning his back on you once more, and taking his leave.

It was quiet for a minute as everyone watched the Sand ninja disappear into a throng of people. Naruto was watching the ground in disappointment. Sasuke turned to look at you.

"You're just as bad as Naruto, needing help all the time," he told you.

You glared. "What!? Why are you starting shit with _me_?"

"Because you just wasted my time having to save you," Sasuke responded, hands in the pockets of his shorts.

You could feel heat flush into your face as the anger built up inside of you. Your body was shaking. You could feel the curse words bottling up. But to your surprise, Kiba stepped up beside you.

"Why are you such a jackass all the time?" he glared at Sasuke, wrapping one hand gently around your upper arm.

Sasuke glared at the boy. Anger was beginning to take place of his features. "This doesn't concern you."

"It's a wonder you haven't committed genocide," Kiba muttered to you. "Come on, let's go, Nakao."

Kiba turned away from Sasuke and your other teammates, dragging you with him. You glanced over your shoulder momentarily just in time to see Sasuke glare holes into Kiba's back.

* * *

You yawned widely, stretching your arms high above your head. It was far too early to be up; especially after last night. Kiba had stayed the night by your place; meaning the two of you hadn't gotten very much sleep. You had both sleepily forced yourselves to get up and get ready to meet your respective senseis.

You had headed to the bridge to see that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were already there. Those saps always came right on time. As you arrived, it seemed Sakura had already begun her complaining of the day.

"Ugh, why is Kakashi-sensei always late!?" she cried out as you walked onto the bridge where you had been designated to meet. "What about the feelings of a young maiden who woke up late and didn't have time to finish blow drying her hair?"

"Oh god, not that!" you cried, mocking despair, throwing an arm across your forehead theatrically as you passed the kunoichi.

Sakura turned to you and you sat down on the bridge next to Sasuke, who was leaning against the railing again. She glared. "Just because you don't take care-"

"Woah, woah, woah, let me stop you there, Pinkie," you held up a hand. "My hair is already better than yours. End of argument. I win."

Sakura shook angrily and was about to respond, when Naruto interjected. "Hey, hey! I overslept and didn't have time to wash my face or brush my teeth or change my underwear!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder at the boy and you peered past her to him. You raised an eyebrow. "Naruto that's…nasty…"

A popping noise grabbed your attention. You and your teammates glanced up to find Kakashi-sensei squatting on the arch that hung over the bridge. He waved. "Good morning, everyone. Today, I had to help a little old lady across the street and-"

"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura yelled.

Kakashi-sensei jumped down and the four of you moved closer to him. "Yeah, well, anyway…I know this is sudden, but I've nominated you four to enter the Chuunin Exams."

'Huh? He nominated us?' you blinked.

Kakashi-sensei reached into his back pouch, pulling out four pieces of paper. "Here are your applications."

"Chuunin Exams…" Sakura said wearily as she took her application.

"This is only a nomination. You don't have to take the exam if you do not wish to," Kakashi-sensei assured, handing you your application last.

Just as you grabbed the paper, Naruto latched himself onto Kakashi-sensei. "Oh thank you, Sensei!"

"Get off!" Kakashi-sensei began to pry Naruto off.

"Chuunin Exams! Chuunin Exams!" Naruto chanted excitedly after Kakashi-sensei had managed to remove him.

"Those who wish to take the exams should sign this form and bring it to room 301 of the academy building in three days," Kakashi-sensei instructed.

You glanced down at your application.

**CHUUNIN EXAMS APPLICATION**

_Makase Nakao_

The above person, under the name of Hatake Kakashi, had been nominated to take the Chuunin Exams.

_Jounin Hatake Kakashi_

Below the text was a line for you to sign and date. You were so distracted by this that you hardly noticed when Kakashi-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke. In fact, you were in autopilot as your team began moving, walking side by side, and you joined without realizing.

"Chuunin Exams, huh?" Naruto looked to his application with admiration.

His voice had shaken you from your deep thoughts and caused you to glance past Sasuke and Sakura to him. You then looked back to your paper, thinking aloud. "There are going to be a bunch of tough opponents there. This won't be easy…"

'That Gaara kid will be there…This is gunna be a lot of fun.'

* * *

"I don't know about this, Nakao," Keitaro said uneasily, his eyes scanning your application form for the tenth time.

You rolled your eyes, sitting across from him at the table. "Come on, Keitaro. I can't stay a genin forever. Besides, you took the exam."

"That's exactly why I'm worried," your elder brother sighed, setting the application down on the table.

You reached across, sliding it over to you. Your eyes fell over the text again. Picking up the pen you had set beside you moments earlier, you scribbled your name onto the sheet of paper. Keitaro watched wearily.

"Just be careful," Keitaro resigned. "And Sasuke will be with you, right?"

Your head snapped up. "What does _that _have to do with anything?"

Keitaro looked at you pointedly, like it _wasn't _the oddest statement in the world. "He's a strong kid. And he'll protect you."

You stared for a second. "…What drugs are you on and where can I buy some?"

"I'm serious, Nakao."

You pointed your pen accusingly at your brother. "Do you doubt my abilities?"

"Everyone has their limitations, Nakao," Keitaro responded.

You rolled your eyes. "What an amazing pep talk. 'Don't shoot for the stars, they're too high for you'!"

Keitaro glared lightly, getting to his feet. "Must you always be a smartass?"

"I learned it from somewhere," you looked pointedly at him. "Besides, when you're a part of squad seven, it's the only thing that keeps you sane."

Keitaro sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "Alright, I'll give you that."

* * *

_The smoke was everywhere. It clouded out your vision, making you momentarily blind. Breathing was becoming hard too. Every time you inhaled, you took in smoke, causing you to cough so hard your throat was beginning to hurt._

_"Nakao!"_

_A sense of relief rushed over you. "Keitaro!"_

_You still couldn't see anything, but you could hear footsteps. They were bounding towards your closed door. You coughed again, waiting as something smashed through the wooden door, sending splinters of wood spraying in all directions. You opened watery eyes to see a dark figure walk into the room._

_"Keitaro!" you coughed, getting to your feet._

_From somewhere to your right, a window shattered inward, making you cry out in fear. You felt a strong pair of arms grab hold of you._

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

With a start, you woke up from your dream, shooting up in bed. It took your eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness as you peered around, wondering what noise had awoken you.

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

You looked over to your window. It was partly covered with your curtains, keeping the full moon hidden. That's where the noise was coming from. You rubbed at your left eye, keeping your right eye trained on the window.

'What the hell?'

Pulling back your blanket, you slid out of bed, bare feet on the floor. You wandered over to the window.

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

You draw back the curtains, expecting to see a bird knocking into your window. Instead, Uchiha Sasuke stood on your roof, hand on the window cill. You were immediately awake. Self-consciously, your hands flew to your hair, your fingers running through it rapidly, hoping to fix any locks out of place.

You unlocked the window, pushing it open. A breeze rushed through, passing over your bare arms and legs, for you were only wearing a tank top and a pair a short, shorts. You shivered, crossing your arms over your chest in an attempt to hug yourself.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" you whispered, glancing nervously behind you at your dark room. You looked back to him. "What's wrong? What happened? Who died?"

A smirk slid onto Sasuke's face. You watched him confused. Were you still dreaming? Had your dream just taken a rapid turn?

"Come out here," Sasuke nodded his head, indicating the roof.

"Why?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes but moved away from you. Confused, you slowly clambered out of the window and onto your roof. The shingles were rough beneath your bare feet and the wind blew your hair across your face out here. You shook it out of the way.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing? Did you have a stroke?" you asked, finding him. He was only standing a foot away from you, for a second.

You watched as Sasuke moved to the edge of your roof, peering down over the side cautiously. You were far beyond bewildered at this point. And you were growing cold. Was Sasuke on acid or something? But regardless, you moved towards the edge. Standing beside Sasuke, you peered down as well. There was nothing down here.

"Sasuke, what the-" you started without looking up, but Sasuke interrupted you.

"You're an idiot. A trusting idiot."

"What-" you glanced up just in time to see Sasuke reach an arm out, pushing you.

You let out a gasp, the wind catching in your throat. You fell forward but twisted your body, catching onto the gutter of your house. Pulling yourself back up onto the roof, you glared at Sasuke, who was standing in front of you smugly.

You breathed heavily. 'Something's not right here…'

You forced your body to calm down and your breathing to become shallow. Never taking your eyes off of Sasuke, you concentrated. The harder you concentrated, the more the image in front of you began to change. 'Sasuke', like an oil painting in water, started to drip away, leaving in his place a rather square looking man, completely covered in clothing.

"Who the hell are you?" you demanded, getting to your feet. "And where's the real Sasuke?"

The imposter dropped his genjutsu, revealing to you his true form. You glared. Your weapons were inside your room, but no matter. You had your ninjutsu and taijutsu.

"Very clever," the imposter commented. "You saw through the genjutsu."

"You're a poor actor. Sasuke's an asshole but he wouldn't knock me off of a roof. Now where's the real Sasuke," you demanded, taking a step forward.

"Unharmed, for now," the imposter assured. "But the Chuunin Exams will not be so easy."

"Get the hell off my roof," you glared. "I don't know who you are, but if I see you at the exams, you better run because I will kick your ass."

The imposter chuckled deeply before he simply vanished into thin air. You narrowed your eyes. This was going to be an interesting time.


	15. A Journey in Itself

It was sunny out today; like most days in Konoha. Your chest and stomach were fluttering with excitement and anticipation. As you made your way to the academy building, your application folded into an uneven square in your pocket, you thought about what the Chuunin Exams would be like.

Would you have to fight all the other competitors? Would you need to test your knowledge? Would you need to know how to perform certain jutsus? As you thought, your feet had taken you straight to the academy building. Standing beside the front doors were two familiar figures.

"Nakao!" Naruto waved his hand high in the air, beckoning you over.

The boy was ready to burst with excitement. Sasuke, on the other hand, only regarded you with a lack of interest. You glanced around yourself as you came to a stop before the two boys. "Where's Sakura?"

Naruto quit bouncing around for a second, seemingly just becoming aware of your fourth teammate's absence. He glanced around for a moment until a grin broke out over his face again. He was peering over your shoulder. "You're late!"

You turned around to see Sakura walking towards your group. But something was off about her. She was watching the ground as she walked, only glancing up when she heard Naruto. As she came to a stop beside you, she smiled gently. "Oh yeah…sorry."

You watch curiously as Sakura looked over to Sasuke. Normally, when she did so, you could practically see hearts in her eyes and her cheeks would flush pink, but not today. Instead, she only offered a small smile and a calm greeting. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun."

You narrowed your eyes momentarily. No, none of this was making any sense. Was it possible that Sakura was an imposter too; just like the Sasuke from the other night? The memory caused your eyes to shift over to Sasuke. He, too, was watching Sakura skeptically.

Sakura then turned to you. With the same forced smile, she looked you directly in the eye. "Good morning, Nakao."

You blanched. What? You were too shocked to even respond and instead, you only stood, staring at the girl, mouth agape, dumbfounded. If your behavior bothered Sakura, it didn't show. She merely glanced up to the academy building and sighed. "I guess we should go in now."

As Sakura stepped forward, leading the group into the building, you glanced at your other two teammates. Naruto was completely oblivious and followed Sakura excitedly. Sasuke, however, had glanced at you too. Slowly, you looked away and followed Naruto and Sakura into the building.

Your team traveled the hallways without saying a word to one another. The silence that drifted between the four of you was nothing short of completely awkward. At the end of the hallway, a large cluster of people caught your attention. There was a throng of shinobi, each with different village emblems etched into their metal-plated headbands, grouped in front of a door. Glancing up to the small, triangular sign above the door, you found that it was room 301; the room you needed to go through.

"Oh, that's horrible…How awful!" you heard the ninja whispering amongst themselves as you neared.

Ignoring your other teammates, you sidled through the crowd, curiosity getting the better of you. What the shinobi had been looking at were four people. Two males dressed in traditional chuunin armor, stood in front of room 301, seemingly guarding it.

There was also a boy and a female. The boy had black hair, cut into a bowl shape. He wore a green, spandex suite, complete with orange leg warmers and a red headband tied around his waist. He was a Konoha genin. The girl was also from Konoha, according to the headband around her forehead. She had brown hair tied into two buns on the top of either side of her head. She wore a pink, Chinese-styled tank top and blue pants.

You had arrived just in time to see the Konoha boy get kicked in the stomach, and sent flying backwards. He was caught by the girl before he hit the ground. She looked down at him worriedly. "Lee, be careful!"

"You plan to enter the Chuunin Exams with _that_?" one of the chuunin sneered.

"You should just quit now," the other commented.

"Please, just let us through," the girl pleaded, getting to her feet.

She moved forward but one of the chuunin slapped a hand across her face, making her stumble backwards until she landed on her backside next to the boy named Lee, who you assumed was her teammate. Murmurs and shocked gasps erupted from the ninja around you as the girl put a hand to her cheek. She watched the two chuunin with big, brown eyes.

"Horrible," someone to your right muttered.

"Horrible?" one of the chuunin snorted. "This is nothing compared to the Chuunin Exams! We're doing you guys a favor."

'What a prick.'

You glanced down to the girl on the floor, then back to the two chuunin. How dare they act like they were better than you. And how dare they pick on two genin. They weren't the judges of who would make a good chuunin and who would be able to past the tests.

"That's enough," you announced before you could help yourself. "I want to go through."

Everyone watched in shocked silence as you stepped forward, out of the crowd. The two chuunin glared as you walked over to the girl in pink, offering her your hand. She stared up at you carefully, her eyes flickering to the headband tied around your left arm, before taking it and you pulled her to her feet. As she checked on the boy in green, you turned back to the chuunin.

"Well?" you raised an eyebrow, then made a shooing motion with your hand. "I said scram."

"You have some nerve," the chuunin on the left glared at you.

Someone else detached from the crowd, walking up beside you, stopping on your left side. You glanced over to find that it was Sasuke. He stared at the two chuunin, his hands casually in his pockets. "You will let us through. Oh, and remove the genjutsu, I want to go to the third floor."

"So, you noticed," one of the chuunin smirked.

Your mouth opened slightly. 'A genjutsu? How didn't I catch that?'

"You must have noticed it first, right Sakura?" Sasuke glanced over his shoulder to your pink-haired teammate. She glanced up in surprise. "You have the best analyzing skills on our team."

Your mouth hung open as you openly gaped at Sasuke. What the hell was that? Since when did being nice to Sakura become okay? What had happened to your teammates? The only one acting normal now was Naruto…well…normal for your team anyway. Had you somehow slipped into an alternate universe?

Sakura smirked, shrugging. "Of course. The sign says 301, but we're actually on the second floor."

Gasps and murmurs came from the crowd again. No one had noticed. You watched as the numbers **301** spun around once and turned into **201**.

'Oh great, just what we needed-Sakura's ego boosted.'

A searing feeling slowly settled into the pit of your stomach, one that you did not understand. Why the hell was Sakura being praised? She never did anything; but you did everything! Why was Sasuke being nice to _her_?

"Heh, not bad, but all you did was see through it," said one of the chuunin.

You glared at him, deciding to take your sudden bad mood out on him. "Yeah, whatever, now get lost."

The chuunin turned his eyes on you, they were flashing. You could feel the tension of battle erupt into the air; you were getting used to that feeling now. Adrenaline immediately pumped into your veins, getting you ready. You slid a foot backwards, ready. Your eyes caught the flickering movement of the chuunin; he had brought his leg back and was rushing you.

You were about to counter when another flash flickered in front of you. Sasuke. Both boys were going to kick each other. They were inches from hitting one another when, suddenly, both of their legs were stopped. Your eyes widened at the cause.

The boy in the green suite from earlier, Lee, stood between the two males. He held an ankle in each hand, preventing Sasuke and the chuunin from hurting one another. Your mouth opened slightly. 'How is he so fast that he actually caught their kicks? This couldn't be the same boy getting kicked around!'

You glanced over to the girl. 'Was it all an act?'

The bowl-haired boy let go of the ankles and the chuunin jumped back to his partner. Sasuke simply stepped backwards, his eyes watching Lee carefully.

"Lee, what happened to the plan?"

You looked over again to see the brown-eyed girl and another boy walking towards you, Sasuke and the boy named Lee. The newcomer had long, brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail at the very tips of his hair. He was wearing a khaki-colored sweatshirt and gray shorts. His eyes were a clear lavender, with no pupils.

'His eyes…they look just like Hyuuga Hinata's. Are they related?'

"You're the one who suggested we not draw attention to ourselves," the girl added, coming to a stop next to you.

Lee had opened his mouth to give an explanation, and you took this chance to look him over more carefully. Up close, the boy was very…strange. If the bowl cut and green spandex weren't enough, his eyes certainly tipped the scale. They were completely round with long lashes. Yet, they were beady and topped with an almost unibrow, his eyebrows were _that_ large and fuzzy. You shuddered despite yourself. It wasn't like you to be shallow but this kid…well, he was something different. But incredibly fast.

Just as Lee had begun to talk however, he paused. He had peered over your shoulder and become tongue-tied. Curiously, you followed Lee's gaze to see it was directed at none-other than Sakura. He immediately bounded towards her, stopping directly in front of her. He was so close you were surprised she could breath.

"My name is Rock Lee. Yours is Sakura. Let's go out!" Lee gave a thumb up and grinned. Your eye twitched; his teeth actually sparkled.

Sakura's face turned a very odd shade of blue as her pupils shrunk. She stared at Lee as though he was utterly terrifying.

"I will protect you until I die!" Lee promised, smile never faltering.

You suddenly let out a bark of laughter, but quickly slapped a hand over your mouth. You shouldn't laugh at the poor boy, even if he did have a poor taste in women. He was barking up the wrong tree though. Getting Sakura to chase anyone but Sasuke was impossible.

"No…way…" Sakura finally responded. "You're totally lame."

Lee's face fell. You saw that one coming. You rolled your eyes. Sakura was a total bitch anyway. You could say that now that she appeared to be back to her old self. You'd never be getting another 'good morning' from her again.

"Hey you, what's your name?"

You glanced over your shoulder to see who had spoken. It was Lee's male teammate and the question had been directed at Sasuke.

"It's impolite to ask for someone's name if you haven't introduced yourself first," Sasuke told the boy.

You rolled your eyes. What the hell did Sasuke know about manners?

"You're a rookie right? Just how old are you?" the male tried.

"I don't have to answer you."

You rolled your eyes again, walking over and standing next to Sasuke. You looked to the other boy. "His name is Uchiha Sasuke. You'll have to excuse his childish behavior."

Lee's female teammate let out an involuntary giggle. Sasuke shot you a lethal glare, one that you simply ignored. You kept your attention focused on the lavender-eyed boy. "And my name is Makase Nakao. And you are?"

The boy regarded you for a moment, seemingly interested. Finally, he responded. "Hyuuga Neji."

"You see Sasuke? Was that so hard?" you turned to Sasuke, mocking him.

Sasuke looked ready to retort, until Sakura's voice cut him off. She bounded up to Sasuke's other side, Naruto in tow. "Alright, Sasuke, Naruto, let's go!"

She took Sasuke's hand in her right, for her left was occupied by Naruto's hand and began to drag them towards the third floor. Glaring, you stalked after her. Dammit. You liked her better the way she was twenty minutes ago; quiet and realizing that she sucked.

* * *

To get to the third floor, your team had to climb a long flight of stairs. You were trailing behind Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto, feeling bored. When was the stupid exam going to start? It was getting close to three and you hadn't even handed in your application yet. Leave it to your squad to make everything more complicated than it needed to be.

Finally, you stepped onto the third floor. The stairs opened up into a large, empty room. The upper walls were home to a balcony with a railing that ran the length of the room. Two hallways split off, one to the left and one to the right. Your team began to head for the right hallway, when a voice echoed throughout the empty room.

"You there, with the attitude."

Your team stopped. Glancing around yourself, you quickly found the source of the voice. It was Rock Lee. He was standing on the balcony, gazing down at your group.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, annoyed.

You snorted. How funny it was that Sasuke responded to that title. Even funnier, _you _knew who Lee had been talking to. No one seemed to have heard you though. Lee jumped down, standing in front of your group. His eyes were trained on Sasuke.

"Will you fight me?" he asked.

"A fight? Right here?" Sasuke asked, seemingly slightly surprised.

"Yes, I want to test my skills against a descendant of the genius Uchiha Clan," Lee slid into a fighting stance. You immediately recognized it to be associated with taijutsu attacks. "Also…"

You all watched as Lee's eyes slipped over to Sakura. Patches of red appeared on his cheeks. "Sakura, I love you."

Sakura let out a shriek, clutching at her head. You let out another joyous laugh, clapping your hands together once. You looked to Sakura, grinning. "You two would make so much better of a pair than you and Sasuke would."

"Shut up, Nakao!" Sakura screamed, ready to tear you to pieces…if she could.

You only laughed in response before looking back at Lee. "Sorry Lee. Sakura is still under the disillusion that Sasuke is secretly loving her from afar and that they will one day bless the Haruno household with the pitter patter of little Uchiha children uglier than sin. But once she regains her sense of reality, I'll let you know."

"Nakao, I'll kill you!" Sakura screamed, her face so red you thought she might actually explode.

"You're an angel," Lee blew a kiss dreamily towards Sakura.

Sasuke, who seemed disinterested with all of this, cut into the conversation. He had one hand in his pocket. "You challenge me knowing my name is Uchiha? You must be ignorant. Do you want to know what the name of Uchiha is capable of?"

You rolled your eyes.

"Please," Lee responded seriously, returning to his stance.

"You guys, I don't really think we have time for this," you insisted, your eyes finding a clock on the far wall. You had thirty minutes to turn in your applications.

"This'll take me five minutes," Sasuke assured.

You let out an aggravated sigh.

"Wait!" Naruto stepped forward, obviously angry that he was not in the spotlight. "I want to face fuzzy brows."

"I don't want to fight you, I only want to fight Uchiha," Lee responded.

"Uggh, what's so special about Sasuke!?" Naruto roared, angrily.

"Sasuke is a genius and this year's top male rookie," Lee said. "I want to see if my power can measure up to a great clan."

"Ugh, can't you do this on your own time?" you asked, irritated. "**I **want to go hand in my application."

Apparently, no one was listening because seconds later, Naruto came charging past you, straight for Lee. You called his name, but he was undeterred. He aimed a fist as Lee, but Lee simply put an index finger on Naruto's fist and Naruto fell to the ground. On the ground, Naruto crouched, swinging a leg beneath Lee's feet. Lee merely dodged and sent a kick back at Naruto. His foot collided with Naruto's chest and he was sent flying backwards, only being stopped by the wall behind him. Naruto hit the wall with a loud bang, then fell to the ground, unconscious.

You turned wide eyes on Lee. 'He knocked Naruto out with hardly any effort!'

Lee straightened and looked back to Sasuke, as though Naruto's assault had never happened. "I will declare now that you cannot defeat me, because I am the strongest Konoha genin right now."

Sasuke smirked. "Interesting. I accept your challenge."

You cried out, aggravated, throwing your arms into the air. You had a mind to simply walk straight to room 301 by yourself.

Sasuke rushed Lee, aiming a fist for his head, but he only hit air. Lee had jumped upwards so quickly Sasuke had actually missed.

"Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee began to twirl rapidly, falling back towards Sasuke. As he spun, he sent a series of kicks at Sasuke. Sasuke ducked, but Lee quickly appeared at his level, kicking Sasuke square in the jaw.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried as Sasuke flew backwards. He hit and skidded for a moment against the polished, wooden floor.

You watched in complete surprise. 'Sasuke doesn't have time to block Lee's attacks! This is incredible!'

Lee stood straight as Sasuke got to his knees. It was quiet as Sasuke watched Lee for a moment. He closed his eyes, getting to his feet. When Sasuke reopened his eyes, they were crimson. Sakura gasped from beside you. You glanced over at her. 'That's right…Sakura wasn't with us when Sasuke got his Sharingan…'

Sakura was beaming widely as she watched the battle in front of you. You rolled your eyes. It was just the Sharingan, so what? People had all sorts of kekki genkis. It wasn't like Sasuke's was freaking special. Feeling bored and unentertained, you fell to the ground on your backside, legs crossed in front of you. You put an elbow on one knee, resting your chin in your right palm. Sasuke was kicked into the air.

'And if the Sharingan is so great, why is Sasuke getting his ass kicked?'

"My moves are neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu," Lee said as Sasuke landed on his feet and they went after each other again. Lee fought fast, Sasuke having time to dodge one attack before getting hit in the stomach which such force he was pushed backwards. Sasuke stumbled backwards, clutching his stomach. He winced as he watched Lee. "My attacks are only hand-to-hand combat."

'Ah, that would answer my question. The Sharingan can't detect which taijutsu move is going to be used next like it can predict with genjutsu or ninjutsu.'

"Sasuke..." Lee disappeared and reappeared behind Sasuke. Sasuke quickly moved and Lee jumped back. "I hear that your Sharingan can see through ninjutsu and genjutsu. You can defiantly see through and deal with genjutsu and ninjutsu that require forming hand seals and kneading chakra but taijutsu is a little different."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked glaring. You could see sweat forming at his hairline.

"Even if you can see my movements with your Sharingan, your body does not have the speed to keep up with mine."

Sasuke was quiet. You watched intensely. Lee was right; he was incredibly fast. You couldn't keep up with his movements either.

"Did you know there are two types of ninja? There are genius types and hardworking types. If your Sharingan is a genius type that carries the blood of Uchiha..." Sasuke started to run at Lee. "Then I am a hardworking type that continuously improves my hand-to-hand combat."

Sasuke sent a punch that Lee easily dodged.

"Your Sharingan and my taijutsu skills are a bad combination," Lee said dodging another attack and sending a kick. Lee's foot made contact with Sasuke's chin and Sasuke was sent flying upwards towards the ceiling. As Sasuke was in the air, Lee appeared underneath him.

"Shadow dance..." Lee murmered. Sasuke tried his best to watch Lee underneath him. "I will prove to you with this move, that hard work does surpass genius!"

The bandages on Lee's left arm began to unwrap.

"I win!" Lee stated.

From the corner of your eye, you caught a fast moving, red object. The red object went straight to Lee and pinned his unraveled bandages to a wall. When you looked closer you saw it was a pinwheel.

'A pinwheel…?'

"Stop right there Lee."

You all looked to the direction of the voice to find a large turtle. You blinked and rubbed your eyes. You reopened them but the talking turtle still remained. It was huge, bigger than yourself, and a Konoha headband was tied around its neck.

'Did it happen? Did I finally go insane?'

Lee flipped and let himself down easy and kneeled in front of the turtle. Sasuke, who had still been in the air, started to fall down quickly. Sakura called his name and ran, catching Sasuke so he didn't hit the floor.

"Are you okay Sasuke?" Sakura asked but Sasuke didn't answer. He simply watched Lee, pushing away from her. You got to your feet, eyes never leaving the turtle and Lee.

"You were watching?" Lee asked, head bowed to the large turtle.

"Lee, that move is forbidden," the turtle's voice thundered.

Your eyes widened and your mouth dropped. Your other teammates were shocked as well. You had heard the voice before, but now you actually watched the lips on the turtle move. This was insane.

"I am sorry, I got carried away..." Lee said, glancing upwards. When the turtle looked unconvinced, Lee began to panic. "I wasn't going to use the Reverse version! Really, I'm telling the truth!"

Sasuke and Sakura were watching the turtle, confused. You were glad to see that maybe you hadn't gone insane. Or maybe your team had just gone insane with you; that was a good possibility. Glancing at the turtle and Lee again, you decided to make your way over to Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto, too, had moved from his place on the opposite side of the room where he had been knock out, over to you.

"Hey hey, that's a turtle right?" Naruto asked, squatting down beside your group and pointing.

Your eye twitched as you glanced at Naruto. "Please tell me that was rhetorical question."

"So can a turtle become a ninja teacher too?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"I don't know!" Sakura hissed.

Something in your mind clicked. 'Oh that's right!'

You had nearly forgotten, since you didn't see them very often, about summons. Powerful ninja, with lots of practice, were able to summon abnormally large animals. They came from a special island. They could assist you with battle and do almost anything you needed in terms of that.

As Lee was lectured by the turtle, and Naruto continued to prod Sakura with questions, you glanced over to Sasuke. He was watching the floor, obviously upset with himself for losing. You could understand his distress. Losing was bad enough; but losing to a guy like Lee was even worse. Then again, you had told him not to fight and he hadn't listened to you, so it served him right.

"You fool! Did you really think that excuse would work!?" the turtle yelled at Lee making him close his eyes and stand straight. "Are you prepared to face the consequences?"

"Sir..." Lee bowed his head.

"Gai-sensei, please take care of the rest," the turtle said to seemingly no one.

But in a puff of smoke a man in the same outfit as Lee appeared. He even had the same eyes and same hair style. They could almost pass as twins if the new arrival wasn't a good thirty years older. "You guys are in the spring time of your life aren't you?"

Your whole team began to twitch as your mouths dropped open.

"An even more funny-looking guy came out!" Naruto shouted, practically horrified like the rest of your team.

The man pointed to himself and smiled, his teeth literally sparkling. "Hey Lee."

"I guy with even bushier eyebrows, bigger bowl-cut and even more weirder looking!" Naruto exclaimed.

It was true. This Gai was the exact, older replica of Lee. Exact.

Lee looked back at your group with anger. "Hey, don't make fun of Gai-sensei!"

"To hell with that! Look how weird that guy looks!" Naruto shouted back.

"What did you say!?" Lee shouted in response.

"Calm down Lee," the man named Gai said, standing on top of the turtle's shell.

Lee turned around and faced his sensei seriously. "Sir."

"You..." Gai pulled his hand into a fist. "Idiot!"

Gai punched Lee hard, causing blood to run from his nose. Your group watched, horrified. Lee landed a little ways from you and Gai walked over. Gai got to his knees as did Lee. "Lee you...you..."

"S-sensei..."

Your eye twitched as the two began to cry.

"Lee..."

"Sensei. I-I..."

"It's okay Lee, don't say anymore."

"Sensei!" Lee stood up and hugged his sensei.

"Lee!" Gai hugged back.

Your eye continued to twitched, your mouth ajar. Lee and Gai cried into each other's shoulders.

"Ah yes, this is youth," Gai cried happily.

The two in green let go of each other and Gai put a hand on his pupil's shoulder. "It's okay Lee. It is normal to make mistakes when you are young."

Tear streamed down Lee's face. "You are too kind, Sensei."

Gai dramatically pointed to a window. "Now! Run 100 laps around the training field in the sunset!"

"Yes sir!" Lee responded, equally as dramatic.

The two wiped away their tears and grinned, teeth literally sparkling again. You watched, ready to fall over in disbelief. The two started to walk away until Naruto spoke up. "Hey, wait a sec!"

"What are you going to do about the Chuunin Exam? There's no time left," Sakura pointed out to the two in spandex.

"What? Oh yeah..." Gai said. He coughed and put his hands on his hips. "Lee, I will have to punish you but first, on to the exam!"

Lee saluted. "Yes, Gai-sensei!"

"Hey, so what's up with the turtle?" Naruto asked smiling, clearly amused, glancing around at your teammates.

You glanced over to the boy, before sighing. Did that really even matter now?

It was then that Sakura noticed you were all being watched by Gai. She slid behind Naruto slightly, whispering. "Ew, he's watching us!"

"You four, is Kakashi doing well?" Gai asked.

Your teammates slowly glanced at one another. Naruto finally looked back to Gai. "You know Kakashi-sensei?"

Gai chuckled. "Do I know him? Well I guess you could call us, rivals."

"Rivals?" you echoed with an arched eyebrow.

The rest of your team went back to their disbelieving faces. "There's no way you're Kakashi-sensei's rival!"

"Hey! Gai-sensei is really-!" Lee began but was cut off.

"It's okay," Gai said calmly. "Don't say it out loud Lee, express it with your attitude."

You watched the two and suddenly it was one. You whirled around to look behind you to see Gai standing there. "The record stands 50 wins and 49 losses."

The rest of your team turned to look at the strange man, wondering how quick he was to be able to move in a split second.

"Let me just tell you, I'm stronger than Kakashi," Gai said, pointing to himself.

Your eyebrows knitted together in thought. Could that really be possible? Kakashi-sensei was losing to this man? Well…his speed was incredible. And Sasuke had lost to Lee when you thought that wouldn't happen. You side glanced at Sasuke.

"How's that! Gai-sensei is amazing!" Lee piped up.

"Lee made a mistake but please forgive him for the sake of my face," Gai said, grinning at Sasuke. Your eye twitched along with Sasuke's.

"Lee and the four of you should go turn in your applications now," Gai said.

Gai threw a kunai, knocking away the pinwheel pinning Lee's bandage to the wall. Lee began to gather the bandage and rewrap it around his left hand. "Do your best Lee! Farewell!" and with that, Gai disappeared. The turtle disappeared as well.

"Sasuke..." Sasuke looked over to Lee, as did you. "Let me say this before I go. To be honest, I came here to test my skills, but I lied a while ago. The strongest rookie in Konoha is in my team, but it is not me."

Your memory conjured up the image of his male teammate. "I entered this exam to beat him, and you are one of my targets as well. Prepare yourself!"

And with a dramatic exit, Lee flipped up to the balcony and ran from the room. Your team silently watched the empty spot where Lee had taken off from. Quietly, you decided to voice your thoughts. "Yikes."

"Well, it looks like the Uchiha clan isn't that great after all," Naruto said, his arms casually behind his head.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

"Naruto, don't be a dick," you glared over at the blonde.

"Shut up."

You glanced over at Sasuke. Shadows were covering his face and the fists clenched at his sides were shaking. A rush of nervousness settled in your gut; you hated when he got into one of these moods.

Sasuke continued in a cold voice. "Next time, I'll slaughter him."

You bit at your lip. This was all getting way too serious. Sakura, too, looked slightly distressed.

"You lost so badly though," Naruto continued, as though enjoying the taunting.

Sasuke glared.

"Naruto, you're being a total douche," you declared. Naruto glanced over to you, frowning. You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. "Come on, let's just hand in these stupid applications."

* * *

Your team followed the long, dimly lit hallway until it came to an end. The end being a pair of large, wooden doors. Standing in front of said doors, was a man with spikey, silver hair.

"Kakashi-sensei," you greeted as your team stopped before him.

"Yo," he replied. He glanced down to your pink-haired teammate, who was standing between Naruto and Sasuke. "So I see that Sakura came as well. Good, then you can officially register for the Chuunin Exams."

"What are you talking about, Sensei?" Sakura asked, confused.

"You can only register for the Chuunin Exams as a squad," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"But you said we had a choice," Sakura pointed out.

"That I did."

"So you lied?" you raised an eyebrow.

"Well…yes," Kakashi-sensei confessed. "If you had known you needed to register as a team, Sasuke, Naruto and Nakao may have pressured you into registering. Even if you didn't want to, you would if Sasuke asked."

"So what would have happened if they had shown up without me?" Sakura asked.

"I wouldn't have been allowed to let them take the exam," Kakashi-sensei admitted.

"Hey wait a second, Sensei," you glanced to your sensei in thought. "We're a four-manned squad. Isn't that cheating or something?"

Kakashi-sensei scratched the back of his head. "Well, allowing you guys to participate took quite a bit of time. The rule stated that all four of you had to be here, since it's an official team, but everyone was pretty upset about it."

"I don't really think there's much to worry about," you muttered. Only Sasuke, who was on your left, heard.

Kakashi-sensei smiled at the four of you behind his mask. "Well you're all here so I wish you guys good luck. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Nakao…"

The four of you watched your teacher expectantly.

"You guys are my team, and I'm proud of you. Good luck."

Kakashi-sensei stepped aside. You and Sasuke glanced at each other before stepping towards the door. You each grabbed a handle of the heavy slabs, pulling them open. Sakura and Naruto walked through first, you and Sasuke following.


	16. A Stranger

"Holy shit…" you muttered to yourself.

You stood beside Sasuke in a horizontal line, with Sakura on his left and Naruto on her left. The room beyond Kakashi-sensei was huge and filled with benches and long tables. It was a classroom. Sitting atop those tables and benches, and leaning against walls, and hovering in corners, were dozens upon dozens of genin. You couldn't even count them all.

Several groups, teams you assumed, of shinobi glanced over when your team entered the room. You scanned faces, but they were all a blur. Everyone was looking the same to you. But you forced yourself to snap out of your nervousness, and analyze the situation.

There were shinobi of all shapes and sizes. But what was uniform across the room were the emotions. The sense of tension and nervousness clouded the room, threatening to suffocate you. Your eyes skimmed over headbands. Leaf, Sand, Waterfall, Rain, Grass and…Sound? You thought you had vaguely heard someone mentioned that country. It was new, still getting itself onto the map.

"A-Are all these people here for the exam?" Sakura squeaked. You could hear the fear evident in her voice. It made you cringe. You wanted to shake the girl, tell her to toughen up. Some of these shinobi could smell fear ten feet away and it would be like a shark with blood.

"Sasuke-kun; you're late!"

You recognized that voice. It could only come from…

Something rushed past you. It was none other than Yamanaka Ino. She hadn't changed a bit. She rushed Sasuke, glomping him when he had his back turned. She wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her cheek against one of his. "I've been oh so eagerly awaiting this meeting ever since I heard you'd be entering!"

Sasuke tried his best to glare over at the blonde. For some reason, you got a sense of satisfaction from seeing that. Come to think of it, there was a heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach. It was sour, acidic…

Before you could dwell on the feeling any longer, Sakura glared over at Ino, shouting. "Get off of him, Ino Pig!"

"Oh hello Sakura, forehead big as usual I see," Ino grinned slyly at Sakura.

"Shut up, Ino Pig!" Sakura's fists shook at her side.

Ino turned her attention away from Sakura to you, but still hadn't removed her arms from around Sasuke. She was smiling as she turned to face you. "Hello, Nakao, long time no see. Are you okay…you look a little pale?"

You put a hand to your face subconsciously, but cleared your throat. "I'm fine."

"Oh man, you guys are here too? How troublesome."

You glanced behind you to see that Nara Shikamaru and his best friend Akimichi Chouji had wandered over, following Ino.

"Ah man, the idiot trio's here," Naruto complained, stepped closer to the group, for it had started to form a circle around Sasuke and Ino.

"Stop calling us that!" a vein began to twitch in Shikamaru's forehead.

"Yeah, found you all!"

Your eyes lit up and you whirled around. Kiba, along with his teammates Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata, were walking over towards your group. You grinned, waiting for Kiba to stop beside you before pouncing on him.

"Kiba!" you cried happily, wrapping your arms around his neck. It was so good to see a friend again after spending so much time trampling around with the idiots you were forced to call your teammates.

Kiba let out a nervous laugh. You noted that he seemed to do that any time you hugged him in public. What was up with that? And when had that started? Was he really that embarrassed about you? You pulled away from Kiba, smiling at him. You noticed that his face was slightly flushed red.

"Are you okay?" you asked worriedly, placing the back of your hand to his cheek, checking for a fever.

The rest of the rookies watched the exchange with quirked eyebrows as Kiba turned his head away, as though embarrassed. You were confused, but shrugged, draping an arm around Kiba's shoulders. You faced the rest of the rookies, who were still watching you. Sakura, in particular, was watching you, annoyed. You rolled your eyes mentally, like she wasn't obnoxious 24/7!

Sasuke was watching as well, you noticed curiously. Actually, he was more so watching Kiba. He actually appeared to be…glaring? Was this still about the other day? Man, talk about a grudge. You turned your attention away from him and to the group in general.

"Looks like everyone is here," you said, realizing that all three genin teams that had passed this year, were here at the exams.

"Hey you guys."

Everyone looked to the left to see who had spoken. There was a boy, who was quite a few years older than you, probably closer to your brother's age, walking towards your group. His silver hair was pulled back in a ponytail and thin-rimmed glasses were perched upon his nose. You noted the Leaf headband tied around his forehead. He stopped in front of your large group.

"So you guys are the ten rookies fresh out of the academy, eh?" his eyes scanned over each of you in turn. "You guys are causing quite the ruckus; this isn't a field trip."

Ino glared, having finally detached from Sasuke. Whether it was on her own free will or Sasuke had forced her, you hadn't been paying attention. She voiced her opinion loudly. "Who asked you!?"

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto," he gestured an arm out theatrically, indicating the room in front of you. "Just look around you."

Begrudgingly, you looked ahead. What Kabuto was getting at was true; a large portion of the ninja were staring your group down. You took note that none of the expression on their faces seemed particularly happy. Slowly, you looked back to Kabuto as he continued.

"You have to be careful; some of them have notoriously short tempers. Plus, everyone's tense seeing as it's the beginning of the Exams. I'm warning you guys so that you don't get picked on."

"Well aren't you a good Samaritan," your voice dripped with sarcasm.

Kabuto smirked, resting his black eyes on you. You couldn't help but notice a glimmer in Kabuto's eyes. But something was off about them. Looking into his eyes gave you a cold feeling. They were a dull black, not the onyx color that Sasuke's were. "I remember my first year, vulnerable and unsuspecting."

The rookies around you glared. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

"So this is your second time then?" Sakura asked.

"Well, no…it's my seventh time. They hold exams twice a year," Kabuto admitted.

Your eyebrows rose so high they disappeared behind your bangs.

"So you must know a lot about this exam," Sakura continued.

"Yes."

"But yet, you haven't passed. And you're giving _us_ advice?" you stared at Kabuto pointedly.

Kabuto rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I see what you're driving at, but I am trying to be useful."

"Are the Exams really that difficult?" Shikamaru asked in near dismay.

"Well it's not a cake walk. Let me give you guys a head start," Kabuto reached into a pouch around his waist, pulling out a deck of cards. He held them up so all of you could see. "Recognition cards."

"Recognition cards?" Sakura echoed.

"Basically, information cards that can only work with my chakra," Kabuto explained. You watched closely as Kabuto kneeled on the ground, placing his cards on its surface. "I've collected all this info over the past four years. There's about 200 cards total."

Kabuto flipped one card over, it was completely blank. "It looks white now but..." Kabuto put his finger on the card. It spun underneath his finger as you could feel Kabuto push chakra into the card.

"What are you doing?" Kiba asked, his chin nearly resting on your shoulder as he peered down at the cards.

"Like I said, these cards only react to my chakra."

The card stopped spinning and in the slightest plume of smoke, a map appeared on the card. The map turned horizontally and five3- dimensional bars appeared, showing how many participants from each village there was. Sand -33 Rain -21 Grass -15 Waterfall -12 Leaf -72 Sound -3

"There's a total of 153 participants," Kabuto stated. "Now let me ask you this question..." Everyone looked at Kabuto. "Why do you think we all take the Chuunin Exam together?"

Nobody answered. And if they were like you, nobody cared.

Kabuto held up one finger. "First, it's to make friendships between countries," another finger went up. "Next is to heighten the level of ninja…"

"And what about selecting chuunins? I thought that was the main purpose," you said.

Everyone nodded.

"Well yes, that is the true purpose but...the real significance is balancing power between countries," Kabuto said.

"Balance?" Naruto questioned.

"What's the point? Why go through so much trouble?" Shikamaru asked.

Kabuto put his hand over the card making it turn white again. "If the power between countries is not balanced, one country could become more powerful and possibly take over another one."

"Is there any personal info on those cards?" Sasuke asked, stepping up. Kabuto smirked as he looked up at Sasuke.

"You had someone in mind?" Kabuto lifted one blank card, ready.

"Gaara, from the Hidden Sand Village and Rock Lee of the Leaf Village," Sasuke said.

Kabuto frowned slightly. "Oh that's no fun, you even know their names."

Kabuto grabbed two cards from the deck and held them in front of his face. "Here we go."

"Show them to me," Sasuke said seriously.

Naruto looked back and forth from Sasuke to Kabuto, seemingly confused. You took a step closer, trying to get a better look.

"First, Rock Lee." Kabuto placed one card on the ground and began to spin it around. A few seconds later the card stopped spinning and information appeared. Lee's picture showed up, along with pictures of his teammates, mission numbers and a skill graph.

"Lee is one year older than you guys. He's completed 20 D rank missions and 11 C ranks. His squad leader is Gai and his teammates are Tenten and Neji. His taijutsu skills have increased greatly, but his other skills haven't moved at all. He didn't take the exam last year even though he was qualified."

"Now, Gaara..." Kabuto spun another card until information appeared as Lee's had. You noticed a lot of Gaara's information was unavailable. "Gaara has completed eight C rank missions and...this is amazing, one B rank mission as a genin. He's a foreign ninja and this is his first time taking the exam so I don't have any other information on him."

The card went blank and Kabuto returned the two to his deck. Then he took another card, placing it on the ground and making it show another map. "Konoha, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, and Sound. This year, many talented ninjas from these villages have come."

"Sound, it only has three participants, why is that?" you asked curiously.

"The Hidden Sound Village is a small village that just sprung up out of nowhere. I don't have any information on them," Kabuto informed. "But either way, they're all strong villages."

You nodded to yourself. So you have been right about the Sound Village.

"It's enough to make you lose your confidence..." Hinata said fearfully.

"Oh now's a great time for saying that!" Ino scolded.

"So all the entries here are..." Sakura started.

Kabuto smirked. "Correct. Everyone here are elite ninja chosen from each country. This isn't going to be easy."

At this point, Naruto began shaking. You were deep in thought when you noticed. You had been thinking about the opponents you would be going up against. Gaara had been the first on your mind. You watched Naruto carefully, wondering if he was okay, when Naruto made a sudden, very loud, outburst. He turned to all the ninja, pointing at them with a stupid grin on his face.

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto and I'm gunna beat every one of you, believe it!"

You watched Naruto dumbfounded. You shouldn't have been surprised, but you just couldn't help it. How could one person be so stupid? You wanted to melt into the ground from embarrassment. But maybe no one would know he was _your _teammate.

Ino angrily glared at Sakura. "Hey! Control your boyfriend!"

Sakura glared back. "What'd you say!?"

Naruto grinned, putting his arms behind his head. "Ah, that felt good!"

Kiba smirked, resting an elbow on your shoulder as he watched your teammate. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. I'm not sure you were loud enough."

"You bakka, do you want to make everyone here your enemy?" Shikamaru glared at Naruto.

Sakura head locked Naruto from behind. "You idiot! Don't you ever stop to think!?"

As Sakura attacked Naruto, the other ninja started looking irritated again. Sakura noticed and looked at them. "Oh sorry, don't mind him. He has some mental problems..."

Sakura pulled him back and started scolding him. It was then that your senses picked up movement. You felt a breeze and your instincts fired off. But before you readied yourself to move, the attack had already commenced. A boy with a yellow shirt threw two kunais at Kabuto. Kabuto jumped backwards and the kunai pierced the ground. But as Kabuto was distracted, another ninja with bandages completely covering his face and long purple sleeves covering his hands, appeared right in front of him and sent a punch at Kabuto's face. Kabuto dodged and landed on his feet. Kabuto smirked, until a second later the lenses of his glasses cracked.

Kabuto took his glasses off, examining them closely. "I see, so that's what kind of attack it was..."

You watched silently, eyes scanning the area, moving from Kabuto to the sudden attackers. They were now standing idly.

Sasuke stepped up. "Hold on, I saw the whole thing, Kabuto wasn't touched!"

Your attention whipped back to Kabuto as he grasped his head and fell to his knees on the ground. Kabuto threw up blood causing Naruto and Sakura to run over to him. You and the other rookies watched in shock and confusion.

"Quiet down you punks!"

There was a big poof of smoke and you all turned your attention to the other side of the room. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

The smoke slowly disappeared to reveal a man. He was very tall and his muscles made him very broad. His skin was tanned although he wore pants and a black trench coat. Wrapped around the top of his head, completely covering it like a bandana, was his Leaf headband. A long scar ran down one side of his face. "I'm Morino Ibiki, the first proctor of the Chuunin Exams."

After his introduction, Ibiki turned his attention to your group. He pointed a finger out. "Hey you, ninja from the Sound. Do you think you can just do whatever you want in here? Do you want to be disqualified already?"

"Sorry Sir, this is our first time. I guess we're a little…excited," the ninja with the bandages covering his face replied. There was humor in his voice. You shot a glare in his direction.

Ibiki smirked at the boy before his gaze slipped over your entire group, then passed to the rest of the classroom. "I guess this would be a good time to point out that you are not allowed to fight during the exam, unless instructed to do so by a proctor."

"I can tell this exam is going to be soft and easy," the Sound ninja in the yellow shirt murmered, walking away with his team. Your eyes followed them.

"We will now begin the first test of the Chuunin Exam," Ibiki announced. "Turn in your applications, then..." Ibiki held up a white card notecard. On it was a bold** 1**. "Take one of these cards and what number you get will decide your seating. Once everyone is seated, we will pass out the papers for the written test."

"Written...? Papers...?" Naruto muttered.

You glanced over to your teammate. He was growing pasty and sweaty. A nearby chuunin quickly ruffled a large stack of papers. Naruto's eyes turned white as he slammed his hands on the floor and cried out in despair. "No! Not a written test! No way!"

"God, your teammate's such a spaz," Kiba muttered in your ear as the classroom began to form into three vertical lines.

You rolled your eyes, retrieving your application from your pocket. "You have no idea."

Reaching the front of your line, you handed a chuunin your application. In return, he handed you a small, white, cardboard square. Stepping away from the line, you glanced at the number. **79. **You glanced up as Kiba left the line and neared you, holding his own number.

"What number are you?" you asked.

Kiba held up his card so you could see. "180."

You glanced around the room. The seating was split into three sections. Long benches and tables were placed vertically behind one another on the left and right side of the room. A wide aisle separated both sides by a middle section. A quick glance at the signs designating the seating, you discovered that you and Kiba were not in the same section. You would be seated on the right side of the room, while Kiba would be on the left.

You pouted, turning to Kiba. "Well, good luck I guess."

Kiba flashed you a smile and a wave before making his way to the other side of the room. You, already on your side of the room, wandered down the aisle, looking for your row. You finally found it, discovering you were the second seat in. You slid into the seat, setting your numbered card down on the wooden surface of the desk.

Placing an elbow on the desk and your chin on your palm, you glanced around the room. Genin were busy bustling around, trying to find their seats and sliding over people to get into them. You saw that both Naruto and Sakura were seated in the middle section, Sakura several rows behind Naruto. Sasuke detached from a line and you watched as he glanced at his card. He looked up, his eyes peering over in your direction.

'He's in my section then.'

Sure enough, seconds later, Sasuke was headed towards your section of seats. Your eyes followed him as he walked down the aisle. As he passed you, his eyes flickered to yours for a second. You just watched him, bored. You had hoped this exam would be more exciting.

Once Sasuke had passed you, sitting somewhere behind you, you glanced forwards again, watching the number of genin in line dwindle. This was, until, you felt a shadow loom over you. You glanced to your left. Standing at the end of your row was a boy.

He looked to be several years older than you, maybe a year younger than Keitaro, and was tall. He was probably close to your brother's height of 6'1". Maybe this kid was a little shorter. The headband tied around his forehead revealed to you that he was a Sand genin. He was wearing a tan t-shirt and black pants like the style Kakashi-sensei wore. Bandages covered the skin between the end of his pants and his black ninja sandals. His sandy blonde bangs covered up most of his headband and fell into his eyes.

'His eyes…'

You couldn't help but stare at the boy next to you. His eyes were the same shape and color as yours. The exact shade! The resemblance was uncanning! You were so fascinated by this that when the boy glanced up, his eyes locked with yours. Your breath caught in your throat.

Just like with Kabuto's eyes, you got a strange vibe from this boy's eyes. They were swimming with emotions, but none that you could recognize. And yet, all at the same time, they were guarded, hard as steel. You forced yourself to look away as the boy sat wordlessly beside you on your left, on the end seat of the row.

You took a peek over after the boy had settled. He was staring forwards, hands resting on his thighs. But your attention was adverted when Ibiki took a spot in front of the classroom as the last of the genin took their spots. Ibiki stood in front of a large, black chalkboard. He gripped a piece of white chalk in his fingers and tapped it against the board loudly, gaining everyone's attention. As he began to talk, chuunin began to move up and down rows, passing out papers, face down. "This exam has a few important rules. Listen up because I won't be accepting any questions."

Your eyes narrowed. 'What? No questions?'

Ibiki began to write on the board as he spoke. "You all start with a total of ten points. This test has ten questions, thus, each question is worth one point. This is a deduction based test so if you get a question wrong, you will be deducted a point."

'So if I get two problems wrong, my score will be eight...' you understood. Ibiki confirmed your assumption. You glanced down as a piece of paper was lain down in front of you.

"Next, the pass/fail decision is based on the team's total score," the proctor said.

Your face fell and you felt your face go pale. Slowly, your gaze turned to the back of your blonde teammate's head. Naruto may have gotten stronger since he left the academy, but he certainly didn't get very much smarter!

"What!? No way!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Shut up!" Ibiki barked. "There's a reason so just shut up and listen."

Sakura fell silent but her disbelieving expression stayed etched into her face.

"Now, to the next rule. Those chuunin you see stationed around the room..." You looked to your right. On the right and left walls of the room, chuunin were sitting in chairs. There must have been at least twelve or more chuunin on each side. You looked back to Ibiki as he continued. "Those examiners are here to watch you. If they catch you cheating, or anything similar to that, during the test, each time will cost you two points. So, if you are caught cheating five times, you fail and will be escorted from the room immediately."

A murmur of whispers went around the room, but Ibiki continued. "Those who cheat without thinking will be caught and will only hurt themselves. You all are here to become chuunin. If you want to be treated as an elite ninja, act like one."

You closed your eyes momentarily, taking in this information. 'Alright, well at least Naruto won't be dumb enough to cheat…I hope. And even if he does, then he's the only one who fails. And as long as Sakura, Sasuke and I do well on our tests, our scores should make up for Naruto even if he gets a zero.'

"Oh and, if any one in your team gets a zero, the whole team fails," Ibiki added.

Your hand slipped from its position holding up your chin, your forehead almost banging on the desk. You looked up, eyes wide. Fear etched itself onto your heart. 'N-No way! This can't be happening!'

"The tenth question will be given out in the last fifteen minutes of the exam. You are given one hour to complete the test. Begin!"

There was a large, unison rustle as papers were turned over and the scratching of pencil on paper as everyone wrote their names. You scratched your name into the upper corner of the page, glancing at the test. Your eyes barely skimmed the words of the questions when you glanced up to Naruto. You could already see him squirming in his seat. Sighing, you forced yourself to pay attention to your own world and to concentrate on the task at hand.

Looking back to the first question, you read it thoroughly. As you read through the story problem, you placed the eraser of your pencil against your lips, tapping it thoughtfully. Your eyebrows knitted in confusion.

'Okay, I don't get that one. Let's move on to number two.'

You read problem number two. A burst of excitement rushed through you as you thought you knew how to figure out the answer. But as you put the tip of your pencil to the paper and began to write, you stopped midsentence. Confused, you glanced back up at the problem.

'Wait…no…that's not right…'

You erased the answer on your paper and decided to skip that one too. Your eyes moved on to problem three.

'The parabola B, represents a shuriken's maximum throwing distance of the enemy ninja, A, from a height of seven meters. Figure out the trait of the enemy ninja that can be observed from the ellipse formed by the shuriken. Also, figure out the maximum throwing distance on flat ground. Explain your reasoning.'

Slowly, after rereading the problem for the third time, you set your pencil down on the desk. You stared at the words on your page with an utter sense of hopelessness.

'I don't understand any of these problems. And they only keep getting harder the further down you get.'

The bitter feeling of failure became a crushing weight on your heart. It felt like going in for a midterm, not having studied and realizing you had no idea what the hell you were talking about. You put your head in your hands. Why? This was only the first exam, and you would fail it. Worse yet, your teammates would fail because of you.

Lifting your head from your hands, you glanced to your left. Sakura was whizzing through her paper, her face contorted in complete concentration. Your gaze slipped over to Naruto. He was slumped in his seat, his head in his hands like yours had been prior. You felt sympathy for the boy. You knew just how he was feeling.

You wanted to glance behind you to see how Sasuke was doing, but you didn't dare. You glanced over to the chuunin stationed side by side against the wall to your right. Their eyes were alert, attentive, every so often scratching something down on the clipboards that rested on their laps. You bit your lip. You didn't want them to think you'd be cheating by taking a glance backwards.

You looked back to your empty paper. How could anyone be expected _not _to cheat? You doubted anyone but a handful of people in this room even knew what these words meant. These problems were based on uncertain circumstances and estimated formulas. There was no way your average shinobi would know this stuff.

Really, was this all necessary to know as a chuunin? You highly doubted it. You doubted even your brother could answer these problems; and he was a jounin! And a smart jounin at that. You thought his intelligence could possibly rival Kakashi-sensei's.

You glanced back to the chuunins in the room. You watched as the one nearest you checked something off on his clipboard. This whole exam was just odd. First, they give you impossible questions and then…wait, you're _allowed_ to cheat. You got five strikes, five chances to cheat before they disqualified you. Otherwise, normally, you'd be kicked out of an exam first thing for cheating.

_"Those who cheat without thinking will be caught and will only hurt themselves. You all are here to become chuunin. If you want to be treated as an elite ninja, act like one."_

Of course! Duh! You were supposed to cheat! It all made sense now. Why else would they give you these questions? With new found confidence, you glanced back to the chuunins.

'Now my only problem; how to cheat and not get caught?'

You blocked out the rest of the world as you thought to yourself. Well, you could use your kekki genki to send a breeze throughout the room. That would lift up people's papers and you could get a look at the answers. After all, you could manipulate the path of your wind; you could easily pick out a row of people, lift up their papers and hold them there momentarily while you jotted down answers. The only problem with that, however, is you'd only be able to pull it off once. And there was no way you'd be able to see and memorize nine answers in the split second you had to pull this off. Maybe two or three, but no more than that.

What if you stole someone's paper completely? That plan sounded a little trickier. First, you'd have to use your wind to sweep the paper off of someone's desk and slide it across the ground to your seat without any of the chuunins noticing. And even if you managed that, surely the person who you had robbed who have something to say about that. Unless…

You glanced over your shoulder cautiously. You found Sasuke immediately, several rows behind you. He was jotting down answers fiercely. You noticed him staring past you. When you glanced in that direction, you found that he was watching a boy two rows ahead of you, zooming through his test. You glanced back to Sasuke, catching a glimpse of red.

'So he's using his Sharingan…'

You continued to watch Sasuke, hoping desperately that he would catch your gaze. But the longer you did so, the more nervous you became. What if one of the chuunin thought you were cheating…well…you were, but what if they caught you! But just as your nerves were about to overpower your decision, Sasuke's eyes finally locked with yours.

He had deactivated his Sharingan and he only watched you with onyx-colored eyes. You tried to communicate with him silently, mentally talking in your head. You had no idea whether he understood what your stare meant, but you were positive he'd figure it out. Holding Sasuke's gaze for a second longer, you returned your gaze forward.

You took in a deep breath of air through your nose. This was it. You formed hand seals beneath your desk, so subtly your arms didn't even reveal the movement.

'Arashi Kamekaze.'

You felt the familiar rush of your kekki genki. You eased the wind out the pores in your skin slowly and carefully. You didn't want even a strand of hair to be caught in the breeze. This would take a lot of patience and time.

You sent a stream of wind to flow beneath your seat. Although you couldn't look behind you and direct your wind around other genin, you tried to relay on your memory, remembering where the genin had been seated when you had glanced behind yourself at Sasuke. And you also used your own positioning. Assuming everyone was sitting how they were supposed to in their seats, you could navigate your wind to keep it from touching anyone. You held your breath, praying for the best.

To your utter delight, no one made any noise and when you had counted mentally how many desks you had passed, you glanced over your shoulder. You hoped that your long bangs hid your eyes from view. You slipped your wind beneath Sasuke's seat, then flowed it along his legs and up to the surface of his desk.

Sasuke's head jerked up just slightly and you noticed that he had activated his Sharingan. Chances were, then, that he could see your wind in action. You gently eased the paper inch by inch down the surface of his desk, slipping it onto his lap, then onto the floor. You held your breath, gliding Sasuke's paper along the floor, making it hover only millimeters so it wouldn't make noise.

To your honest surprise, the paper made it back to you without you being caught. That had probably been one of the longest moments of your life! You slipped Sasuke's test onto your lap and quickly began to jot down the answers onto your own test. You were through with this in nearly less than a minute, then began to ease Sasuke's test back to him.

Several minutes later, Sasuke's test was back on his desk, and yours was filled out in front of you. You deactivated your kekki genki, sighing in your seat. That had taken some effort, you weren't going to lie. Maintaining the control you had needed for that activity had not made you tired, but made you want to relax. You were just elated that your plan had actually worked. You never thought you'd ever admit it but; thank god for Sasuke.

You glanced up to the clock hanging on the wall to your right. It revealed that you only had five minutes left until the tenth question. You glanced down to the blank box at the bottom of the test. Who knew what kind of question it would be? And you only got fifteen minutes to answer it. Would you be on your own for this question? Well, no matter, you were positive the other nine were correct.

For the first time, you glanced around the room. You blinked in surprise to find that at least a quarter of the genin who had started, were gone. Had you really been so focused on your task that you had missed all the commotion of genin being thrown out of the room? Yikes. Maybe you could get information without being caught, but if it took so much concentration you didn't know what was going on around you, you'd probably be killed before you could get the information anyway. You made a mental note to yourself to work on that later.

You then glanced over to the boy beside you. He looked like he had before the test had begun; calmly looking forward, hands on his thighs. You glanced at his paper, seeing that he had finished the test as well. Glancing forward as well, you waited for the tenth question.

**Five Minutes Later**

You watched the clock as the minute hand ticked onto the bold **45**. You glanced to Ibiki expectantly. You were ready for this. Ibiki had been looking at a pocket watch and stuffed it back into his jacket, his eyes scanning the room. "Well, it looks like our incompetent ninja have been weeded out."

'Alright, bring on the question' you leaned forward eagerly. You were confident now that you had nine of the answers, and you were ready for this stupid question.

"However, before I start the tenth question, there's one thing I must take care of...There is a special rule concerning this last problem," Ibiki held up an index finger.

'Huh?' You must have lifted your butt off of your seat because you suddenly fell back down on it. 'Special rule? I'm so sick of his rules!'

"This rule is...a hopeless rule. Before we start the tenth question, you must decide whether you would like to take it or not."

You nearly scratched your head in confusion. Decide if you wanted to take the last question? Was he kidding? Why wouldn't you take it? Ugh, if he had one more special rule for you, you were going to lose it.

"What happens if we choose not to take the tenth question?" Temari asked from the back of the room.

"If you choose not to take the exam, you and your teammates will receive a zero. In other words, you fail," Ibiki answered.

"What's the point in that? Of course we're going to take it!" people around the room reasoned.

"But here's the other part of the rule..." Ibiki began.

You wanted to whack your head against your desk top. Enough rules!

Ibiki continued. "If you decide to take the tenth question and get it wrong you will forever lose the privilege to take the Chuunin Exams."

Your back stiffened as you stared at your proctor. Had he said…what you thought he said? All around, uproars of protests rang out.

"That's a bunch of bull!" Kiba yelled, standing up. "Plenty of people here have taken the exam before, failed, and took the exam again!"

Ibiki let out a mocking chuckle. "I guess you guys are just...unlucky. This year is my first year, I am the rules. That is why I gave you the option of quitting. Those who are not confident enough to take the exam can come back and take the exam year after year should they choose."

You now understood why Ibiki had called this a hopeless rule. If you stayed and fail, you lose your chance of becoming a chuunin forever. But if you give up, you fail your teammates. You bit your bottom lip.

"Those who wish not to take the exam, raise your hands."

You quickly sought out your teammates. Sasuke, sitting behind you, was focused, but his shoulders were relaxed. He wasn't quitting; no surprise there. You glanced to your left to Sakura; she wasn't going to quit. Then your eyes fell on Naruto. Your blonde teammate shook in his seat, obviously struggling with his answer. You had decided you would take the exam, take your chances but Naruto...

_"I want to be the greatest Hokage! Then everyone will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!"_

You looked down at your desktop as students raised their hands and were escorted from the room. You thought about all the trials you had worked through as a team. How hard Naruto had worked. His dream depended on this exam. His dream was what he lived for.

You looked down again, chewing on your lip. 'He won't raise his hand...not if it'll fail us too…'

You glanced to Sasuke and seconds later you glanced at Sakura. You sighed and looked back to Naruto. Maybe…maybe you should quit for Naruto? So that he didn't have to suffer the guilt.

You smirked to yourself, shaking your head. When the hell had you become so noble? And when had your teammates become so important to you? You sighed. What were these three idiots doing to you?

But before you could raise your hand, if you had decided to, a loud slamming noise echoed throughout the room. You turned your attention to the source of the noise in surprise, finding that it was Naruto. He was standing up, palm lying on the desktop. It looked as though he had started to raise his hand, but changed his mind. He looked up to Ibiki, blue eyes flashing bravely.

"Screw you! I'm gunna take this test! Even if I do stay a genin forever, I'll become Hokage no matter what!" Naruto plopped down in his seat, nodding to himself in satisfaction.

All around you, the room was silent. You glanced around, but no one was raising their hands anymore. No one even looked like they wanted to. You looked back to Naruto, smirking and shaking your head. What an idiot. An inspirational idiot.

"I will ask again. Does anyone wish to withdraw from the exam?" Ibiki asked again after a pregnant pause.

You glanced around again, but no one raised their hands. You looked back to Ibiki. No one was backing out now. So what was next? You watched as Ibiki opened his mouth. You tensed.

"Alright then, for everyone left...you pass."

'Pass…?'

You blinked. Pass…that word meant that you had completed your task right? Yeah…so…you passed? All around, genin slowly began to realize what Ibiki had said, seemingly going through the same process as you.

"What do you mean we pass!? What about the tenth question?" Sakura exclaimed, standing up.

You shot an unseen glare over at your teammate. Why did she always have to be an idiot? You passed; why did she always need to question things? Ibiki beamed, an unusual expression and it casted an odd shadow across his face, due to the scar running down his face. "There was no tenth question! Or you can call that decision the tenth question if you would like."

"So what was the point of the previous nine questions!? Did they mean nothing!?" Temari asked.

"No, those questions already accomplished their purpose," Ibiki said.

"Our ability to obtain information," you said, suddenly embarrassed when you realized you had said it out loud. You shifted uncomfortably in your seat.

Ibiki glanced at you. "That's correct."

"Wait...what are you talking about?" Temari asked.

"This exam tests what you would do as a Chuunin Squad Leader. First off, you had the pressure of being depended upon by your team," Ibiki explained.

"Yes yes, I figured," Naruto pretended to understand, nodding his head. You sweatdropped.

"However, the questions found on your test papers could not be solved by genins. Thus, most of you must have figured out that you need to cheat, so we stationed two Chuunin in the room disguised as a genin that knew all the answers. For those who could not cheat without being caught, they were weeded out."

"Of course! It's so obvious! Who couldn't have known!?" Naruto spoke loudly, leaning back in his chair.

Your eye twitched. He was so transparent. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he never figured out that he needed to cheat…'

Ibiki untied his headband to show his head. It was scared, with burn marks and puncture wounds. They looked old, but had not healed properly. You cringed. They _looked _painful.

"Information can have a greater value than life at times, and in missions and battlefields, information is contested with lives of people," Ibiki retied his headband around his head. "The information that an enemy gets after being noticed by a third person will not necessarily be accurate. Getting incorrect information can cause great damage to your teammates and village. But the last question…The tenth question was the main question of this exam."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Let me try to explain," Ibiki said. "The tenth question was a "take it or not" choice. Needless to say, it was a painful choice. If you decided to play safe, you failed with your team. However, if you did take it but got it wrong, you would never be able to take the exam ever again. Now listen to this problem. Let's assume you have become a Chuunin, your mission is to capture a secret document. The number of enemy ninja, their abilities, alignments, are all unknown. Knowing how dangerous this mission is, will you accept it? Just because your life and the lives of your teammates may be in danger, will you be able to get rid of the danger? No."

"So really, it's all about showing leadership in the face of danger and serving your country despite the costs," you said, eyes on Ibiki.

Ibiki smirked slightly in your direction. "That is correct. That is what we look for in a Chuunin squad leader. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation...Those who give up when given the chance because there is a next year and let their minds sway over an uncertain future...fools who only carry a light determination like them have no right to become a Chuunin. That is what I believe. I believe that you have chosen the right answer to the difficult tenth question. You can deal with the difficulties that lay ahead."

You smiled to yourself. 'Ha, I'm awesome.'

In an instant, faster than you could comprehend, something crashed through a window on the opposite side of the room. Glass showered everywhere as something darted inside. You found yourself staring at a woman who had placed herself on the desk in front of Ibiki. A black tapestry hung behind the woman by kunai in the walls. In white lettering the tapestry read 'Mitarashi Anko, the second exam proctor!'

"Alright you maggots, don't start your celebrating yet! I am the second proctor, Mitarashi Anko! Alright everyone! Follow me!"

Anko pumped her fist into the air. The crickets sounded. Everyone silently watched Anko, wide-eyed. Your eye was twitching. You were beginning to believe these exams really weren't safe, mentally, emotionally or physically.

Ibiki walked out from behind the black banner. "You're early..."

Anko blushed, embarrassed, until her eyes scanned the classroom. She suddenly frowned, turning to look at Ibiki. "Twenty-six? You let twenty-six teams pass? Going soft?"

Ibiki smirked. "Or maybe there's just a tougher crop of candidates this year."

Anko snorted, glancing back to you and the rest of the genin. "Oh well, half of them will be eliminated after my exam."

Your body froze momentarily. 'Half?'

"Tomorrow the second exam begins. Your jounin leaders will know the meeting time and place. That is all. Dismissed."

All around, the passing genin began to get to their feet, bustling around the room to find their teammates. You guessed you should probably find yours. You got to your feet, ready to move out into the aisle, when you found that the boy next to you was still sitting.

"Excuse me," you said, moving to squeeze past him.

To your surprise, however, the boy shot to his feet. He caught you by your upper, right arm. You gasped at how tight his grip was; like a vice. You could practically feel the bruises forming beneath his fingertips. You looked up, finding him staring down at you. Your mouth gaped open several times. You wanted to say something, but you were speechless.

Finally, you found your voice. "Wh-What the hell are you doing?"

"Hello, Nakao," the boy said. His voice was smooth and elegant. It made you want to feel secure, but your instincts wouldn't let that happen. Not when he was keeping you hostage at your desk.

"Who the hell are you?" you whispered. As you gazed into his eyes, you became unnerved.

"Oh, Nakao, I'm afraid we've never met. Such a shame. You look so much like your brother."

'Who the hell is this guy?' you thought with shaking eyes. 'How does he know who I am?'

Your eyes flickered to his Sand headband before returning your gaze to his face. You gritted your teeth together as you felt your arm beginning to ache where he was squeezing it. " .you?"

"My name is Natsuo. I haven't seen you since you were born. You've grown since that, neh? Quite a lady now aren't you?"

As Natsuo spoke, you could sense hidden emotions in his voice. His voice sounded amused, like he was enjoying the mental distress he was putting you through. But the humor didn't reach his eyes. They were cold, calculating and…

"Nakao."

Your breath caught in your throat. You peered past Natsuo to see Sasuke standing beside your row. His gaze was intent, boring into your face.

"You must be Sasuke," Natsuo turned to face your teammate, a sickening grin on his face. He let your arm go upon doing so. Your left hand immediately grasped for the area, feeling it pulsing. "I was just getting acquainted with lovely Nakao here."

You swallowed hard against your throat, glaring at Natsuo. Sasuke did not look happy either. Natsuo turned back to you. You shivered. Every time you looked into his eyes, your nerve completely shattered. There was such a cold…bloodlust in them. But Natsuo still plastered a deceiving grin on his face.

"Until next time, Nakao," Natsuo's eyes gleamed before he slid out of the row, pushing past Sasuke.

Your eyes followed Natsuo to the front of the room. There he met up with two people who you assumed were his teammates. They looked to be about the same age. The male teammate was even taller than Natsuo who, now that you looked at him from afar, appeared to be about 5'11". His silver hair was pulled into a low ponytail, reaching past his shoulders. He wore, what appeared to be, a dark blue poncho that matched the color of his eyes and black pants. A staff was strapped to his back.

The other teammate was a girl who was only about an inch taller than you. Her hair was cut to rest atop her shoulders and was a mint green color. A white flower rested in her hair on the right side of her bangs. She was wearing a green, long-sleeved kimono that, after the ribcage, began to slant and only covered about half of her flat stomach. The kimono started at her shoulders and had a low V-neck. But the portion of her chest not covered by her shirt was covered by black netting. She wore a short, brown skirt that ended where her kunai holster rested on her right thigh. There appeared to be a large, metal ring, like a hoola-hoop, hanging on her back.

Regaining your composure, you stepped out into the aisle. Your entire body was covered in goose bumps. Sasuke, who had not yet been joined by Sakura or Naruto, looked in the direction of the strangers. He glanced to you as you came to a stop before him.

"Who was that?" he asked. His voice sounded angry, like he was scolding you for something.

"Natsuo…" you replied, glancing over to the person in question.

"And who is he?"

You never removed eyes from Natsuo. At that moment, Natsuo glanced back, his eyes catching yours. They gleamed before he turned his back on you, leaving the room with his teammates. You watched the empty doorway while you responded. "I don't know."


	17. Mysterious Meetings

You were exhausted today. Despite the bright sun high in the sky, you felt as though you could lay down where you were and fall asleep. You hadn't gotten much sleep last night and had lain awake, tossing and turning. When you closed your eyes, all you could see were a pair of violet-shaded eyes. The same ones you were forced to look at in the mirror this morning. Even that had caused you distress.

In fact, you were so bothered by yesterday's stranger that you were rattled to your core. You couldn't explain why, but you felt scared; nearly terrified. For this reason, you hadn't even told Keitaro about it. When he had asked you how your first exam had gone when you had returned home, you replied with 'fine' and continued straight up to your room.

Today you were trying so hard to focus, to calm your mind. You tried to put those eyes out of your mind. You couldn't afford to be distracted right now. Not when you were about to enter the second exam. You glanced around yourself.

You, your squad, and the rest of the passing genin from yesterday, were assembled outside of a forest. The trees here were taller than most of the trees in Konoha, and that was impressive. This particular section of forestry was surrounding by a tall, chain-linked fence. A sign hanging on the fence read **Forest of Death. Do not Enter**.

You swallowed hard against your throat. You could nearly feel the bad aura radiating from the forest. The sun couldn't penetrate the canopies of the trees and it looked nearly pitch dark inside. You watched as the purple-haired lady from yesterday, Anko, stepped in front of the fence, facing all of the genin.

"Welcome to the Forest of Death," she announced. She indicated the forestry behind her. "This is where the second exam will take place."

"Forest of Death?" Naruto repeated. You detected a hint of apprehension in his voice.

"This sure is a creepy place," Sakura all but squeaked.

A morbid grin spread across Anko's face as her eyes scanned the faces of the genin before her. "Once inside, you will be able to discover why this place is called the Forest of Death."

"Hoosah," you muttered sarcastically under your breath. You didn't really _want _to know.

"Once you're inside you'll be able to discover why this place is called the Forest of Death," Naruto mocked, thrusting his hips out and wiggling up and down.

"Naruto…" you mumbled, slapping a palm over your face.

"There's no point in trying to spook us! You're not gunna scare me away!" Naruto yelled with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh really? Well aren't you energetic?" Anko smiled, quickly slipping out a kunai and thrusting it at Naruto. The kunai whipped right past his cheek , leaving a long cut in its wake. Blood dripped from Naruto's wound as the kunai pierced the ground feet behind you.

Anko appeared behind Naruto. "It's boys like you that die first; after spilling the red blood I love all over the place."

You took a step backward, eye twitching at Anko. As you did so, you bumped into something. You glanced behind you.

"Oh, sorry Sasuke," you mumbled. He didn't say anything as you took a step away from him.

Anko put her face beside Naruto's and stuck her tongue out, licking the drop of blood that had been running down. You shuddered, horrified. She moved her hand towards the kunai pouch on her thigh, but was stopped before she could pull one out. Something hovering over her right shoulder had preoccupied her, causing her to look in that direction. A girl was standing about a foot behind her. Her hair was black and hung to her tailbone. Around her forehead was a Grass headband.

The girl horrified you. She was sticking her tongue out, but it was over a foot long! The tip of it was wrapped around the handle of Anko's kunai that she had thrown earlier. Her tongue was extended over Anko's shoulder, handing it to her. Chills ran up and down your spine. That wasn't normal. It was downright creepy! All you could think about was how you wanted her to put the tongue away.

"Thank you," Anko said with a smile as she took her kunai from the ninja. The Grass ninja's tongue retracted but into her mouth as Anko continued. "But don't stand behind me like that; unless you want to die young."

"Gomen. I got excited at the sight of blood," the Grass ninja explained. Her voice was raspy.

Your eyes quivered as you bit down on your bottom lip. 'This entire Exam is lead and occupied by total freaks!'

The grass ninja smiled and began to fade back into the crowd of genin.

"Well, it looks like we have some very hot-headed candidates this year," Anko smirked, glancing about herself. "This is going to be interesting."

Naruto glared up at Anko, his right hand over the wound on his cheek.

Anko removed herself away from Naruto and strutted back towards the fence. She turned around, facing you once more, standing 'coincidentally' next to a sign that read **WARNING: YOU MAY DIE**.

"Now, before we start the second exam, I'm going to pass these out to everyone," Anko reached into her tan trench coat and pulled out a stack of papers. **CONSENT FORM** it read on the top. Anko handed the stack to the genin nearest her. He took a sheet, then passed the papers on.

When the stack finally reached you, you took a paper and passed the rest on to Sasuke. You looked down to the paper in your hands and skimmed through the text. You got about half way through when Anko began to speak again, grabbing your attention. "If you are going to take this exam, you must sign these."

"Why?" Naruto asked, obviously not having read his form.

Anko smiled. "Just so we have your consent that if you die it is not our fault."

All around, genin stood quietly. Many faces had gone pale. Your lips twisted into a frown. You glanced back to Anko. She was just trying to scare you. She clearly had the need to feel intimidating. It was what you called an inferiority complex. Plus, she seemed to have a morbid personality about her.

"Now, you will all be going through this extreme survival match," Anko stated. She took out a scroll from one of her deep pockets. It was a map of the Forest of Death that she unraveled and held up for everyone to see. "First, I'll explain the training area's geographical features. This forest has forty-four locked gate entrances all around the area. There's a river, a forest and a tower in the middle. The tower is approximately ten kilometers from the gate entrances. Inside this limited space you will have to go through a difficult survival program."

"Survival program?" Ino questioned from somewhere on your right

"A survival program where anything goes," Anko put the map away and pulled out two more scrolls. One was a cream color with the symbol for Heaven written on it. The other was black with the symbol for Earth written on it.

"Scrolls?" Naruto questioned, his eyebrows crinkling together in question.

"Yes, you will be fighting for these scrolls," Anko held out the cream-colored scroll. "The scroll of Heaven." She held up the black one. "The scroll of Earth."

"Twenty-six teams passed the first exam. Half of those teams will receive a Scroll of Heaven. The other half will get the Scroll of Earth. Each team will start out with either one of these. You must fight over them."

"What's needed to pass?" Sasuke asked from your immediate left.

"Bring the Scroll of Heaven and Earth to the tower with your teammates," Anko answered.

'So if we were to get the Heaven scroll, we'd have to protect it and keep it safe while we fight other teams for their Earth scroll. Then we have to bring both of them safely to the tower…'

Easy enough.

"So this guarantees half of the candidates will be wiped out..." Sakura realized, glancing towards you, Naruto and Sasuke, for she was at the end of your line.

"And this all has to happen in a time limit. The second exams lasts a limit of 120 hours," Anko said.

'What!? A whole five days!'

"But what about food!?" panicked Chouji.

"The Forest will provide you with everything you need," Anko responded.

"But there are a lot of man-eating beasts, poison bug and poisonous plants," Kabuto informed from somewhere behind you.

'Oh how fantastic.' This exam was just getting worse and worse.

"So it's not possible for thirteen teams to pass," Neji realized.

"As time passes, you will be required to move more and more," Lee said. "So your time of rest will be shorter and shorter."

"And we're surrounded by enemies. We won't be able to sleep in peace," Sasuke added from beside you.

"People will get hurt in the process of fighting over a scroll as well," Anko stated.

"Can we quit in between?" Shikamaru asked. You tried to glance over towards Ino's team.

"Once you are in the forest, you must be in there for the duration of the time," Anko answered.

"Just as I thought," Shikamaru complained, arms crossed. "How troublesome."

"While we're on the topic, here are the conditions that will fail you. First," Anko held up a finger. "A team who cannot bring both scrolls to the tower with all their teammates will fail. Second, a team that loses a teammate or produces an unrecoverable teammate will fail. Also, just as a note, you are not allowed to look inside the scrolls until you reach the tower. "

"What happens if we look?" Naruto asked.

"That's a surprise to whomever dares to peek," Anko winked with a sly grin. "If you become a Chuunin, you will be handling top secret documents. It's to determine your reliability. That's all I will say. We will exchange your consent forms for your team scroll and then you will pick a gate to enter through. Everyone will get a ten minute recess to sign your forms and then we will all begin at the same time."

Anko had indicated with her hand, to two booths on your far right. That's where you were to hand in your forms. Anko began walking towards these booths when she suddenly stopped. Glancing once more to all the genin, she smiled. "Oh, and one last piece of advice, don't die!"

"Gee thanks, never would have figured that one out," you muttered, arms crossed in front of you.

As genin began to mill about, you glanced back down to your consent form. You finished reading through the sheet, finding nothing of importance. All it said was that if you died, it was your fault and Konoha was not responsible. When you glanced up from your sheet, however, you found yourself utterly alone.

Your eye twitched. Your teammates had completely abandoned you. Where they had gone, you couldn't tell, even after a quick glance around the area. Sighing, you picked out a large boulder some ten feet away and wandered over. Walking around it, you took a seat on the grass behind it, resting your back against the stone. Reaching into a leg pocket on your cargo capris, you pulled out a pen.

'Sign here…' you scratched your name. 'Date here…sign here…date…sign…'

After several times of signing, dating and initialing, your form was completed. You slid your pen back into your pocket before gazing at your consent form pensively. This exam wasn't a joke; wasn't something to take lightly. You could lose your life in here. Your teammates could lose their lives…

_'I will never let my teammates die. I will die first.'_

Sighing, you clambered to your feet, putting a hand on the boulder to help you. You had just fully gotten to your feet when a shadow passed over your body. You didn't even have a chance to look up when something slammed into you. You flew back into the boulder, choking. Someone was holding their arm against your wind pipe.

Coughing, you glanced up. You would have gasped, if you could breathe properly. There stood Natsuo, smirking down at you. Tears began to form in your eyes.

"Hello, Nakao."

Your chest heaved up and down rapidly. You were like a fish out of water, gasping for air. Natsuo loosened his arm, but did not completely remove it.

You coughed, gasping, trying to regain your breath. You blinked away the tears. When you spoke, you sounded as though you had just run several miles. "What…what do you want?"

Natsuo smirked evilly, lowering his head. His bangs fell completely over his eyes as he bowed his head beside yours so that his lips were near your ear. His whisper chilled your spine. "To kill you."

Your heart skipped a beat. As Natsuo pulled away, you watched him with wide eyes. Your heart was now beginning to beat rapidly. Your mind was screaming at you, telling you that you need to flee, to run; but you were trapped.

Natsuo must have seen the fear in your eyes as he smirked again. "Don't worry, I'm not going to. No, unfortunately, you have a larger purpose in life."

"What are you talking about?" you whispered. "Who are you? What do you want? I haven't done anything to you!"

Natsuo's eyes narrowed. All humor left him for a minute, leaving you with an empty vessel. You hated it; hated being in the presence of this boy. He watched you with soulless eyes. "You know nothing."

You swallowed against your parched throat. It felt sore. Before you could respond, if you had even planned on doing so, you heard footsteps. Natsuo had heard them too, and he had perked his head up. It seemed like he was listening intently for a minute before a wolfish grin spread across his face.

You didn't like that grin; not that you liked anything about Natsuo. The footsteps were just behind the rock now. That was when Natsuo caught you completely by surprise. He bent down, pushing his lips against yours . Your screamed got caught in your throat, your eyes widened so much you thought your eyeballs might pop out of their sockets.

Now that your face was completely blocked by Natsuo's, you couldn't see who had walked around the rock; but you caught a flash of blue out of the corner of your eye. Natsuo held the kiss for just a moment longer before breaking it. You were breathing heavily, shocked, outraged, scared. Natsuo, completely unfazed, turned to meet whoever had just arrived.

You glanced over as well and your heart sank. It was Sasuke. For some reason you felt appalled, guilty, though you didn't know why. Sasuke had his eyes trained on you and all you could do was look back. The look on Sasuke's face was unrecognizable, though you didn't like it. It was almost like he was bristling.

"Oh, Sasuke," Natsuo greeted with a grin. That grin was fake, you knew now. "How are you?"

Sasuke did not glance at Natsuo at first, but kept his gaze on you. Finally, Sasuke turned his attention to Natsuo. As your eye contact broke, you suddenly felt faint. These last ten minutes had been far too emotional.

"It's time to hand in our forms," came Sasuke reply, his eyes set intently on Natsuo.

"Ah, thank you very much for informing us," Natsuo continued to smile. "You go on ahead; Nakao and I will catch up."

An icy chill ran down your spine and your heart began thumping against your chest again. You were frightened; actually frightened. You did not want to be left alone with this boy; this strange boy that you knew nothing of, and yet, he knew things about you that even you didn't.

"No," Sasuke's response sent immediate relief through you. "We're supposed to hand them in as a team. Let's go, Nakao."

Sasuke turned his eyes on you once more. Slowly, you glanced down to your right hand. You had had your form in your hand this entire time, and now it was crinkle, having been clenched in your fist. You glanced back to Natsuo. His eyes flashed momentarily, but you caught it. Anger.

Quickly, you rushed past Natsuo. At first, you were afraid that he might try to grab you or stop you, but he didn't, and you passed him without incident. You walked over to Sasuke's side silently. You had nothing to say. Sasuke's shot one last look over his shoulder at Natsuo before walking away, you at his side.

Your journey towards the booths was quiet. Neither you nor Sasuke spoke at all, and the air was incredibly awkward, though you didn't know why. You met up with Sakura and Naruto and stepped into one of the booths. Several chuunin sat behind a table. You handed in your sheets and in return, one of the chuunin handed Naruto a Heaven scroll. Squabbling ensued until Sasuke was finally elected to carry the Heaven scroll.

Your team then exited the booth, headed towards the forest. You looked for an unoccupied entrance, finding one at gate twelve.

"I'm so ready for this!" Naruto announced as your team stood outside of the gates, waiting to be let in.

"Is there anything you're not ready for?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

You only looked on silently. Your mind and emotions were still rattled, but you were trying to snap yourself out of it.

'Get ahold of yourself!' you scolded yourself. You didn't have time for this. You needed to get through these next five days alive, and you couldn't do that with the way you were acting right now.

"Yeah Naruto, you don't need to announce that every time we do something, we pretty much just assume," you piped up, forcing a smile on your face.

Naruto pouted in your direction. You felt Sasuke glance at you. From behind you, a chuunin walked up. He moved past your team towards the gate, which was padlocked. He pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking the gate. He stood there until finally, you heard the screech of a whistle echo around the area. The chuunin flung the gate open, stepping to the side.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered, rushing forwards into the forest.

You, Sakura and Sasuke followed at a slower pace. The second you stepped into the Forest of Death, the entire atmosphere changed. The sunlight that had been warming your body seconds ago, had disappeared. Now everything was dark, like it would be at night, and cool. Your body involuntarily shivered.

"Oh, let's go this way! No, this way!" Naruto hopped around the clearing you had stepped into, peering around himself eagerly.

"Naruto, we just got in here. Just take a breather," you said, glancing about yourself. Everywhere you looked there were trees and bushes larger than you. You glanced to Sakura and Sasuke. "What's our game plan?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak when a high-pitched scream echoed through the forest. You glanced around yourself instinctually, although the scream sounded like it had come from several meters away.

"Did you guys here that scream?" Sakura was trembling.

"It wasn't near us, Sakura, there's nothing to worry about," you said, although, you didn't completely believe your words. You probably had a lot to worry about; especially since your squad lacked the essential skill for survival: teamwork.

Sakura glanced over to you skeptically, the fear not subsiding. "I'm beginning to get nervous."

"Well knock it off," you demanded, enforcing your voice as much as possible. "There's no time for that now. It's do or die time, Sakura."

Sakura watched you. She was still shaking, but she wasn't angry with you. In fact, she seemed to be watching you like she had never seen you before in her life. You ignored this, glancing at Sasuke.

"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about, Sakura!" Naruto beamed, turning back around to face the three of you. You glanced over at him, watching as his facial expression slowly began to change. You raised an eyebrow, when Naruto suddenly outbursted. "I have to pee!"

Naruto ran towards the nearest tree, unbuckling his belt. Your nose wrinkled in distaste, but Sakura had it covered. She ran over to Naruto, swinging a fist at his head. "Not in front of me you don't!"

Naruto pouted, rubbing the newly formed bump on his head. But he conceded and waddled off into the forestry. Sakura let out a sigh and turned back around, arms folded over her chest. You glanced at Sasuke, whose eyes were shut like he was trying to handle all the idiocy.

"Sasuke, I trust that you have a little more class," you said. Sasuke only opened his eyes to watch you. You took that as a yes.

Seconds later, Naruto rustled through a bush and back into the clearing. He was still futzing with his zipper. "Ah, that's better! I wrote my whole name!"

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose as Sakura hollered at the boy. "Shut up, Naruto!"

Suddenly, from beside you, Sasuke rushed past you. You gasped as he ran at Naruto, punching him beneath the chin and sending him crashing into a tree behind him. You and Sakura gasped.

"Sasuke, you didn't have to go that far!" Sakura gasped, looking between Sasuke and Naruto with concern.

Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion. What the hell was Sasuke thinking? Was he finally losing it? Should you do something?

"Yeah Sasuke, what the hell!?" Naruto yelled up, wiping some blood from his lips as he got to his feet.

Sasuke was relentless and rushed Naruto again, aiming a kick for Naruto's chest. Naruto dodged by jumping into the air, landing on a high tree branch. Sasuke was quick, however, and he was right behind Naruto. He met him on the tree branch. Naruto dodged one kick but missed the second and he went flying towards the ground.

Sasuke followed, landing on the ground on his feet as Naruto smashed into the ground on his back. As Naruto struggled to sit up, Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his holster.

Naruto hopped to his feet, grabbing out his own kunai. "Fine!"

"Sasuke, stop!" Sakura cried in terror as the two boys rushed each other, clashing kunais together as they met.

You watched, frozen. There was a reason Sasuke was doing what he was, but you couldn't figure out why. Sasuke and Naruto argued, but Sasuke never looked at Naruto the way he was looking at him now; like he was out for blood. Your eyes flickered between the boys, trying to figure out what the hell was going on before you rushed in and interfered.

"Where's the real Naruto," Sasuke glared, pushing against Naruto's kunai with his own.

"R-Real Naruto?" Sakura whispered.

Your eyes flashed over the pair and finally, you found it. It was so obvious, how had you missed it!

"What are you talking about!?" Naruto shouted.

"Don't play stupid. Naruto is right handed, but your kunai pouch is on your left leg. And the scratch on Naruto's cheek from the examiner is gone. You're worse at transformations than Naruto," Sasuke glared.

Sakura gasped. You glanced over at her before returning your gaze to Sasuke and the imposter. You hovered your hand over your weapon belt. You figured Sasuke had this covered, but you kept your guard up just in case. Your eyes scanned the area. If one person was here, their teammates might not be far behind.

The imposter chuckled. "So you figured me out."

'Naruto' disappeared into a cloud of white smoke. When it began to dissipate, a new figure stood in his place. It was a male, about the same height as Sasuke. A Grass headband was tied around his forehead. He was wearing a strange, yellow suit that looked like it might be made for diving, and a strange device covered his mouth.

"Now, which one of you has the scroll!?" the ninja's gaze flashed over towards Sakura.

Sakura gasped as the ninja rushed her, a kunai out. Without thinking, you sped to your right, over towards Sakura. You got there just before the enemy, sliding between him and her. Maneuvering your hand around his kunai, you caught him by each wrist, swinging him around and tossing him away.

The opponent back flipped before he could fly too far. Relentlessly, he flew back down towards you and Sakura. You reached behind you, shoving Sakura backwards. You thought she fell to the ground, but you weren't paying attention; you were totally focused on the enemy. The ninja came down at you with a kunai, but you took out a dagger and the two weapons clashed together. The two of you struggled against one another, your faces so close together you could almost toss your head forwards to smash your forehead into his.

"Nakao, move!" you heard Sasuke yell.

You didn't even trying to find where he was. At the sound of the command, you pushed the ninja away and jumped away, up into the nearest tree you could find. Confused, the Grass ninja looked up to find Sasuke standing on a tree branch. Sasuke finished a series of handsigns and seconds later, fireballs were beginning to rain down towards your opponent.

The ninja, amazingly, managed to dodge all of Sasuke's fireballs, jumping up into the air. Sasuke met him there and the two clashed in a kunai battle once more. The two pushed away from one another, landing on separate tree branches. The Grass ninja turned on his heel, rushing from tree branch to tree branch away from your team. Sasuke quickly followed.

"Sakura!" you called down to the girl. She was slowly getting to her feet and glanced up as you called her name. She still seemed stunned. "Let's go!"

Without waiting for your teammate, you rushed after Sasuke and your opponent, passing through the forestry. You finally caught up to the two. You watched Sasuke throw a kunai down into a clearing, although the enemy ninja was standing on a tree branch. You narrowed your eyes in confusion.

As Sasuke threw the kunai, however, the Grass ninja took out several kunais. "Ha, I see a weak spot!"

The ninja threw the kunai towards Sasuke. He let himself fall, grabbing onto a tree branch. The kunais embedded themselves into the tree branch instead of Sasuke. However, that's when you noticed that explosive tags were attached to the kunais.

"Sasuke!" you cried, dashing the short distance towards your teammate.

However, Sasuke was fast and he dropped down into the clearing below as the tags exploded. You stopped on your tree branch, watching the tags explode. That was a mistake on your end; someone landed behind you. You gasped, moving to spin around, when you felt cold metal on against your neck.

'Kuso.'

You had gotten yourself caught by the enemy ninja. He held his kunai to your neck, laughing. "Now, hand over the scroll."

You narrowed your eyes. "I don't have it."

In a flash, you grabbed out a dagger, swinging it behind you. The ninja jumped away to dodge, but was intercepted. Sasuke had jumped up, a kunai in his hand, and rammed it into the ninja's stomach.

"Sasuke!"

You glanced behind you to see that Sakura had finally caught up. She was standing on a tree branch some feet away, watching the scene in front of her.

"Sakura! Look out for his teammates!" you called to her.

Sakura gasped and fumbled for a kunai. Turning your attention back to Sasuke, you saw him fall back onto a tree branch. The enemy ninja, however, was beginning to run away. He was holding his arm to his bleed abdomen. You took you a kunai, tossing it at the ninja. He managed to dodge it just in time and disappeared into the forest.

"Dammit, I missed," you muttered to yourself.

* * *

Your team sat in a clearing in a circle. Naruto had rejoined your group. When Sasuke had thrown the kunai into the clearing after you had followed him, he had been cutting the ropes that Naruto had been tied up in. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at your teammate.

"If the four of us get separated, we can't trust anyone; even if they look like us," Sasuke commented from your immediate left.

"So what are we gunna do?" you asked, legs crossed in front of you.

"We need a password," Sasuke glanced at you.

"Password?" Naruto echoed.

"Alright, I'm game," you nodded.

"So what's the password?" Sakura asked.

"I'm only gunna say it once so listen carefully," Sasuke warned. "First, you'll have to ask, 'What is the ninja song Ninki?'. The answer is 'It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and has his guard down."

Your eyes screwed up in concentration. 'It's a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There…aren't…any…hideouts in a quiet place. It's important for a ninja to know the time; when the enemy is tired and his guard his down…shit, is that it?'

Your eyes shifted back and forth. Sakura on the other hand, nodded confidently. "Got it."

"Um, can you say it again?" Naruto asked, gaining everyone's attention.

"No, Naruto, I said I'd only say it once," Sasuke said, getting to his feet.

"God Naruto, you can't remember that? I've already got it memorized," Sakura gloated.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. Some of our brains are actually filled with useful information and the know-how to do jutsus. Pardon the hell out of us for not remembering a couple lyrics."

Sakura shot you a sinister glare. You returned the gesture.

"I just wanted to make sure I heard everything right!" Naruto tried to defend himself. You rolled your eyes.

"I'll keep holding onto the scroll," Sasuke informed.

"But-ow!" Naruto put a hand to his cheek. Your entire team looked over as a cut appeared out of nowhere on Naruto's cheek. A drop of blood ran from it.

You narrowed your eyes. 'What the hell…'

Suddenly, a blast of wind struck through your clearing. You brought an arm to your face, trying to keep the stinging winds from cutting up your face. It was powerful, like your kekki genki. You gasped as suddenly you felt your body moving. You tried to dig your fingernails into the ground, but to no avail. Your scream was lost to the wind as you swept away like a twig.

* * *

'Ow…my head…'

There was a throbbing in your right temple. It was dull at first, but then it struck like someone was digging a needle into the side of your head. You sat up, holding a hand to your head. That's when you opened your eyes and looked around.

You were in a different clearing than you had been with your team. You were surrounded completely bushes taller than yourself. There was a patch of sunlight in front of you where there was a break in the tree canopies.

'What happened?'

You pulled your hand away from your hand, examining it. Your palm was coated with a thin layer of crimson. You put your hand back to your head in thought. What had been the last thing you remembered?

'That strange wind…'

You glanced around. It had lifted you up and taken you here. Apparently, it had also separated you and your teammates. You sighed; how lovely. Getting to your feet, you wiped your palm off on your pants. Taking out a kunai, you ventured forwards, cutting your way through the thick bushes in front of you.

It seemed like forever, although it was probably only five minutes, until you saw a familiar flash of blue and pink through the bushes ahead of you. You sighed.

'She really needs to lose the pink. I can see her from here.'

You pushed through the bushes, finding yourself in another clearing. Sasuke and Sakura had had their backs turned to you, but had whipped around when you entered. Sakura looked panicked, like usual, but you could tell that even Sasuke was on edge. His eyes were darting back and forth, much like a scared rabbit.

"It's just me," you tried to say, taking a step forward.

Sakura held up a hand. "Wait, Nakao, what's the password?"

'Shit…'

Your face scrunched up in thought. "Umm…the time is right when there's no one else around. Uh…something about a ninja hiding spot and…oh crap…"

You bit your lip, trying your hardest to remember that stupid password. In the meantime, Sakura's lips twisted into a frown and she glanced skeptically over at Sasuke. You began to sweat. What if they thought you were an imposter? You could put up a fight against Sasuke but you had to admit; right now, you didn't want to.

Just as the situation was beginning to look bad for you, a rustle of branches caught everyone's attention. Sasuke and Sakura looked past you and you pivoted to see the bushes push apart. You watched Naruto step into the clearing. His eyes caught sight of your team and he grinned, running forwards.

He got about a foot away from you, when Sakura's demand stopped him in his tracks. "Wait, Naruto, what's the password?"

Naruto blinked, then grinned. "Oh, right. It is a good chance when a large amount of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It's important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and his guard is down."

'Oh _that's _the password…wait…how'd Naruto remember that?'

Sasuke whipped the kunai in his hand straight past you, quick enough to blow strands of hair across your face, and straight towards Naruto. You gasped as Naruto dodged to the left, rolling onto the ground and getting onto his knees.

"What the hell, Sasuke!?" Naruto yelled, glaring at your raven-haired teammate.

"So we have someone good enough to dodge an attack this time…" Sasuke muttered.

You pivoted to glance at Sasuke. "Sasuke, you think this is another imposter?"

"How do we know _you're _not an imposter,_ Nakao_?" Sakura suddenly glared in your direction.

Your mouth dropped open. "What!? You can't be serious!?"

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but Sasuke cut her off. "Sakura."

Sakura shut her mouth, glancing over to Sasuke in question.

"She's not an imposter," Sasuke's eyes didn't leave Naruto.

"Wha-" Sakura seemed flustered, but then she huffed. "Alright, then what about Naruto. He got the password _right_."

"Exactly."

"What?" Sakura looked between Sasuke and Naruto, confused.

"Why do you think I chose such a long password? Because I knew Naruto would never be able to remember it. That password wasn't so much for us, but for whoever might be listening in." Sasuke said.

Your eyes widened and you glanced to _Naruto_. 'How does Sasuke think of these things?'

Silently, the Naruto imposter got to his feet, his eyes on Sasuke. Sasuke continued. "Plus, the way Naruto would have dodged the kunai is completely different."

A sly grin finally slipped onto 'Naruto's' face. His tongue appeared, slipping over his lips. "Very clever."

'Naruto' momentarily disappeared in a cloud of smoke, reappearing as a tall girl with long black hair. A Grass headband was tied around her forehead. It was the same girl from earlier; the one who had given Anko back her kunai. The creepy girl with the unnaturally long tongue. She was wearing a large, straw hat, but she removed it, tossing it to the ground as she talked. "You never let your guard down do you? It seems I can have more fun than I had expected."

You swallowed against your throat and quickly stepped backwards, several paces until you were at Sasuke's sides. Your hands slipped down towards your weapon belt, hovering over the handles of your kunais.

You tensed as the Grass ninja reached into her clothing, but she pulled out an Earth scroll. She held it in front of her face. "You want this, don't you? Since you have the Heaven scroll."

Your back stiffened. This was way too creepy. How the hell did she know what scroll you had? Who was this girl? The girl licked her lips and brought the bottom of the scroll to her mouth. Tilting her head back, she pushed the scroll slowly into her mouth and into her throat, swallowing it. Sakura covered her mouth to muffle a scream and Sasuke gasped in horror. You felt sick, your gag reflex triggering involuntarily. You made a noise in the back of your throat.

"Now, let's begin," the girl's eyes gleamed. "Let's fight with our lives."

You glanced into the girl's eyes and everything suddenly turned black around you. You glanced around yourself hurriedly, heart beating wildly against your ribcage. Was this a genjutsu? Sasuke and Sakura were still to your right, also watching ahead of them. You glanced back, expecting to see the girl, but she was not there. Instead, there was a flash of orange and, suddenly, a barrage of kunai came pouring down on you.

You screamed out as kunais pierced your arms, your thighs, chest, abdomen head. So much pain, so much agony. There was blood, blood everywhere. You felt like you were being dumped into ice cold water and the suddenly, you were on your knees.

You took in a deep breath of air, gasping. You were back in the forest again. The girl was in front of you. No kunai. But you were on your knees, palms on the ground, keeping you in place. Your entire body was shaking and sweat was pouring down your face. You gaped at the girl in sheer terror.

'She…she just made us witness our own deaths…'

You slowly glanced over at your teammates. At first, you couldn't because you were too terrified to take your eyes off of the girl, but you did so. Both Sasuke and Sakura were both on their knees. Sakura, on your far right was shaking just as badly as you, but tears were pouring down her face.

Sasuke on your immediate right, was pale as a ghost. Sweat was also pouring down his face and he bent over, throwing up into the grass. You turned back to the girl, terrified.

'H-How is she so strong? What are we going to do? We have to get away from her!'

But you were frozen, too terrified to move. If you moved, she'd probably kill you. Your mind wouldn't let that happened. You kept screaming at yourself to move, but your body wouldn't budge; it just continued to shake.

"You can't move right?" the girl taunted, smiling wickedly at the three of you.

Your lips trembled. You sensed movement from beside you; it was Sasuke. His body was shaking just as bad as yours, but he was shakily pulling a kunai from the holster on his thigh.

"And just what are you going to do with that?" the girl mocked, smirking. She took you three kunai and began to advance on your group. "Relax, I'll end this quickly; you won't have a chance to suffer."

Your eyes shook as the girl advanced. Was this really it? Was this how you were going to die? Trapped like scared mice; your own body being the reason you would die? And Sasuke…and Sakura…

_'I will never let my teammates die. I will die first.'_

'No…no! Move body, move!'

Your eyes snapped open. The girl raised her wrist, flicking the kunais straight towards yours and your teammates foreheads. Just as she did so, you felt something wrap around your waist.

You gasped, your heart skyrocketing into your throat with the sudden movement. You glanced over to see that Sasuke had his left arm wrapped around your waist, holding you against his body. In his right arm, was Sakura. Your eyes remained on Sasuke's face, full of concentration, until you landed.

Sasuke landed behind a large tree, setting you and Sasuke down carefully. Sasuke didn't even stop to glance the two of you over, but instead peered around the thick tree trunk to the clearing below. The girl still stood there, but she was walking over to where your group had been seconds prior.

You noticed Sasuke's leg twitched and you glanced down. You gasped to see that Sasuke had shoved a kunai into his left thigh. Blood was seeping from the wound, staining his white shorts.

'He overcame the fear with pain…'

You slowly looked back to your teammate, watching him closely. This wasn't the same Sasuke you were used to. This Sasuke was frightened, unnerved and unconfident. Just watching him like that made you want to feel the same. Sasuke was always the rock of the team, whether you'd like to admit it or not.

Sakura finally seemed to gain control of herself once more and she looked to Sasuke. It didn't take her long to discover the kunai jutting out of his thigh. She gasped. "Sasuke, are you-"

Sasuke's hand snapped out, covering Sakura's mouth. An involuntary gasp escaped your lips.

'Sasuke…'

Your eyes softened in concern as you watched your male teammate. That was, until a giant shadow loomed over you. You slowly turned your head to the right, trying to see what had caused the shadow. It didn't take you long to find it. Fear exploded in your chest and you jumped to your feet.

"Shit!"


	18. A Life-Changing Sacrifice

Your heart pounded against your ribcage, your legs ready to flee. Sakura had glanced behind herself when you had yelled, while Sasuke had glanced to you. For this reason, Sakura had to tug Sasuke's hand from her mouth.

"Sasuke, snake!" she screamed.

Sasuke glanced over to see what Sakura had said was true. What you had seen was a gigantic, purple snake that was probably taller than the trees around you if you stretched it completely out. Its bared fangs were longer than your body.

The three of you scattered, each jumping onto separate tree branches. You breathed heavily, watching the gigantic snake. Currently, it was following Sasuke as he jumped higher and higher into trees, trying to escape the beast. In fear, he whipped around, sending a barrage of weapons at the snake's head. "Get away!"

On your branch, your eyes quivered. Sasuke was downright terrified. The wild look in his eyes scared you. If Sasuke didn't keep his composure, why should you? Why would you have a reason to?

The mix of shuriken and kunai plowed into the snake's head. It squealed in pain before falling down to the ground. Blood poured from an open gash on the top of its head. Not even seconds later, the gash began to split further apart. You narrowed your eyes, confused, until something broke through the snake's scaly skin. It was the girl, rising from the snake's body. Grime and goo dripped from the girl.

You watched, mouth agape. Who was this girl? And what was going on? Was this…a summon? Was this girl so powerful she could produce a summon? How? Why was she here!? Your head swam with questions…and concern. What was your team going to do against her? She could slaughter you…

"You cannot let your guard down, even for a second. Prey always need to be on their guard," the girl licked her lips.

'This girl…she isn't out for a scroll. She just wants to kill…'

You watched the girl look between you and Sasuke. "Who should I start with first?"

You and Sasuke glanced at one another. Why wasn't she also looking at Sakura? Why just you two? And where the hell was Naruto?

The girl watched Sasuke for a minute, causing Sasuke to stand rigid, his body so tense you thought he might actually snap. But in a second, the girl's eyes darted over to you. You gasped as, without warning, the girl shot towards you. Her legs and waist stayed rooted where they were, coming out of the snakes head, but her torso and complete upper half shot upwards. It was like her upper body was made out of elastic as her abdomen stretched upwards. She climbed along the tree trunk of your tree rapidly, her tongue hanging from her mouth, hungrily.

You gasped, fumbling for the daggers on your belt. You grabbed them out, holding them in front of you as the girl neared you. She got about two feet away when, suddenly, several shuriken shot down in front of her, digging themselves into the bark of the tree where the girl was just about to reach. The shuriken had almost severed her nose.

Cluelessly, the girl looked upwards. You and your teammates did the same, finding Naruto standing a little ways from your group, up in a high tree branch. His arms were crossed over his chest as he smirked down at the girl.

"Sorry Sasuke, I forgot the password," Naruto smirked.

"Naruto!" you heard Sakura cry out happily from somewhere to your right. You didn't take your eyes from the boy.

The girl sent a lethal glare in Naruto's direction. Obviously, she wasn't happy about him interrupting her assault.

"Looks like you've defeat my snake, Naruto," the girl commented, trying to keep obvious anger out of her voice.

"Yeah, I came to find the person responsible for that. And what do I find? You picking on the weak!" Naruto said cockily.

"Naruto don't get involved!" Sasuke warned. "This girl is on a whole different level!"

You bit down on your bottom lip. You felt inclined to agree with Sasuke. But maybe if the three of you teamed up against her, you could beat her? You glanced back to the girl, fully aware of how close to you she was.

You glanced back to Naruto. He was watching the girl with a gleam in his eyes. He bent his knees, ready for battle.

"Wait."

You, Naruto, Sakura and your enemy all looked to Sasuke as he spoke. He reached into the pouch behind him, pulling out your cream-colored scroll. "Here, take this and leave us alone."

"What!?" you heard Sakura exclaim.

Your eyes focused on Sasuke. Naruto looked over to Sasuke angrily. "What, Sasuke, what are you thinking!? Why would you give the scroll to the enemy!?"

"Shut up!" Sasuke snapped, glaring over at Naruto. Naruto took a step back in surprise.

"Very smart," your opponent chuckled. "The only way to survive a predator, is to show it a different meal."

'What is Sasuke thinking!? Has he lost his mind! This girl isn't going to take the scroll and leave. She's not here for the scroll…she's here for our lives. Otherwise, she wouldn't have frickin swallowed hers…'

"Here, take it," Sasuke listlessly tossed the scroll towards the girl. You watched her lift herself from your tree trunk, though her body didn't return to its normal proportion. Before the scroll reached her however, a blob of orange rushed in the way. Naruto landed on Sasuke's tree branch, Heaven scroll in hand.

"You idiot! Don't butt in!" Sasuke rounded on Naruto, yelling.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled.

You watched, eyes wide as Naruto turned to Sasuke, bringing back a fist and smashing it into Sasuke's jaw. You cried out in surprise as Sasuke flew backwards. He back flipped in the air, landing two tree branches away.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Sasuke yelled, wiping at his lips where a bit of salvia had collected.

Naruto glared over at Sasuke. "I don't remember the password, so I can't test it…but you're Sasuke's fake, aren't you?"

"You idiot! I _am_ the real Sasuke!" Sasuke gritted his teeth together.

"The idiot and coward I see isn't the Sasuke I know! The Sasuke I know wouldn't give up without a fight and he wouldn't act so defenseless!" Naruto glared at Sasuke, thrusting a finger in your direction. "Look at that! Look how close she is to Nakao! And you weren't even prepared to help her! The Sasuke I know wouldn't leave Nakao on her own like that!"

You saw Sasuke's eyes flicker towards you. Your eyes caught his. There were a swarm of emotions in his eyes, but you couldn't read any of them. Not when you were distracted; for out of the corner of your eyes, you could see the girl glance over towards you.

"I may not know how strong he is," Naruto continued, regrabbing Sasuke's attention. "But there's no way that this is all there is. And I don't know how strong this girl is, but I guarantee you she won't let us go even if we give her the scroll."

The girl slowly began to chuckle, gaining everyone's attentions. "You are correct, Naruto; especially when I can just kill you and take the scroll."

Without warning, the girl's body shot forward again, straight for you. You gasped, holding your daggers in an X in front of you. This stopped the girl momentarily but then, like a cobra, she shot around behind you. You whirled around, slashing at any place you could. Everything was such a blur, you couldn't see anyway.

You heard the girl hiss and your vision refocused as the girl pulled away from you. You saw a red gash on her cheek, beginning to seep with blood. You were breathing heavily, your hands shaking as you held your daggers.

"Nakao!" you heard Naruto call. Naruto scowled as the girl turned around to glance over at him. "Ugh, I've had about enough of you!"

The girl smirked, seemingly forgetting about you momentarily. She rolled up the sleeve on her arm. Dipping a finger into the gash on her cheek, collecting blood, she began to scrawl something on her arm. Naruto let out a cry and sprung at the girl.

"Naruto, no!" you and Sasuke screamed at the same time, but to no prevail.

"Summoning no Jutsu!" the girl cried and a strong whirlwind erupted around her. You flung your arms in front of your face, trying to protect it from the strong wind. Your hair whipped around you. From beneath the girl, a giant snake appeared. It shot upwards, smashing through your tree branch, catching the girl's feet on its head. She stood atop of its head, her torso now properly attached to her lower half.

You gasped as your tree branch shattered to pieces beneath your feet. You began to fall but before you fell too low, you managed to grab onto another tree branch. You clambered atop of it, looking back up to the girl, your mouth wide open.

As Naruto rushed the girl, he snake raised its head, bringing it crashing down on Naruto.

"Naruto!" you cried as blood flew from Naruto's mouth.

"Go ahead and eat him," the girl told the snake.

The snake flung Naruto in the air, like a dog might a treat if you had placed one on its nose. But just as it was about to open its jaws, Naruto suddenly sprang back to life and flew at the snake's nose. He brought his arm back and punched it. "EAT THIS!"

The snake flew downward and you gasped. 'How did Naruto suddenly get that strong!?'

The girl seemed shocked as well but quickly regained composure. As Naruto went for another attack, the girl put her fingers to her lips and spewed fire from them. You gasped. 'How can she do a fire jutsu!?'

The fire hit Naruto square in the chest and he was sent flying backwards into a tree trunk. Bark flew out all around him. Wasting no time, the girl and her snake rounded on Sasuke and moved straight for him.

"Sasuke, it's your turn!" the girl cried out in amusement. "How will you react?"

"Sasuke!" you gasped. Your knees were bent, ready to spring, but you never took off. You didn't need to.

Your eyes widened as Naruto jumped in front of Sasuke, holding off the large snake.

"Are you alright, Scardy Cat?" Naruto smirked, glancing over his shoulder at Sasuke.

Just after Naruto had gotten his sentence out, the snake wrapped its tongue around Naruto's arms and brought him level with the Grass ninja. "Hey, let go of me!" Naruto demanded, squirming.

The girl smirked and leaned in towards Naruto. She whispered something you couldn't hear and pulled back an arm, as though to punch Naruto. Each of her fingertips were glowing purple and she brought her arm back, plowing her glowing fingers into Naruto's stomach. He screamed out in agony and finally went limp. The snake released him and he went hurtling stories to the ground.

"Naruto!" you screamed. You grabbed a kunai from your holster, hurling it towards Naruto. It caught the back of his jacket, pinning him to a tree trunk. He was out cold.

You watched Naruto sway back and forth for a second before glaring up at Sasuke. He still stood on his tree branch, his face looking pale and shocked. He looked lost, like he had no idea what he was doing, like he had never been in a battle before.

"Sasuke!" you called up, gaining his attention. You glared at him. "I don't know what the hell is happening in your head, but knock it off! Where the hell is my teammate; the top rookie!? If you're going to let Naruto show you up…then you don't deserve the name Uchiha!"

Sasuke stared down at you momentarily before closing his eyes. He seemed to be deep in thought, for emotions were flashing across his face. Finally, he reopened his eyes. They were crimson, and he turned them on the enemy ninja.

'He's back!' you smirked.

Slowly, the girl turned around, bringing her attention to you. Your smirk vanished and it was replaced with a grim frown. The girl seemed to be regarding you carefully.

"Nakao, such strong words. Do you fight just as strongly?" the girl asked. You watched her torso begin to snake out again. You gripped the handles of your daggers tightly. "Show me what Keitaro has taught you."

Your gasp got caught in your throat. 'How the hell does she know who Keitaro is?'

Before you could put any more thought to it, however, the girl shot out towards you again. You were ready. You brought your fingers together, activating your kekki genki. Just as the girl neared you, a blast of wind erupted from your body, pushing the girl back. Her hair whipped around her face as she struggled to get past your wind, but failed.

Your mind began to spin, trying to come up with your next strategy. But before you could decide on anything, suddenly, a spark of light caught the attention of the corner of your eye; then, fire erupted around you, catching onto your wind and creating a vortex of fire.

You glanced up, finding Sasuke ending his fireball jutsu. You wanted to smirk, but your adrenaline was pumping too much. You glanced back to the girl. She screamed, jumping backwards, out of the flames. You could smelt burnt flesh and hair. It made your stomach clench sickeningly.

You canceled your jutsu, the fire disappearing just in time for you to see Sasuke attacking the girl. He had various weapons out and the two were squaring off. The cowardly Sasuke had been forgotten, and the old one was back. The girl was smirking, however, dodging every attack Sasuke tried to land.

You watched Sasuke pull out several shuriken. He chucked them on either side of the girl, but she dodged them with simple sidesteps. She began to laugh, gloating, until suddenly, she was yanked back against the tree trunk behind her. Sasuke had attached wires to his shuriken and they were now wrapped around the girl. The ends of the strings were caught between Sasuke's teeth. You watched as he ran through familiar handsigns and he activated his fire jutsu. The fire ran along the strings, reaching the girl and completely lighting her up in flames.

The girl let out a scream, causing you to cringe. The smell of burnt skin reached your nostrils even stronger now. Your stomach felt queasy, like you might lose whatever contents were in your stomach, but you refused to look away.

Sasuke released the wires and the fire died down. The girl's head hung limp, her body tied to the trunk of the tree, smoking. You watched with baited breath as Sasuke hunched forward in exhaustion.

"You use the Sharingan so well for your age…I was right to choose you."

Your heart sank. The girl was speaking, although, she didn't sound like a girl anymore. She sounded like a man, a man with a hiss behind his words. You watched the girl slowly raise her head. The skin on her face was peeling, like a plastic mask. You watched in horror as the girl grabbed at the melted skin and peeled it from her face.

A new person was revealed to you. It was a man. Now that the skin was removed, you could see the true person you had been fighting this whole time. His skin was very pale, and his eyes…his eyes made you shudder. They were yellow, with a slit running down the middle…just like a snake. Your breathing shallowed.

"Sasuke-kun, I had fun testing your powers. You and Itachi truly are brothers," the man smirked. He slowly tilted his head to look up at you. You froze. "Nakao…Keitaro has taught you well. Although…I would like to test _your _skills again."

You shook, eyes wide. Who the hell was this man? How did he know about you and Keitaro? And how did he know about Sasuke and Itachi?

"Who the hell are you!?" Sasuke demanded.

You watched the man break out of Sasuke's wires with little effort. Stretching his arms slightly, he brought them to his waist and pulled out your Heaven scroll. Your eyes narrowed. You hadn't even seen him take it. He must have taken it from Naruto…

You watched the man hold the scroll vertically in his palm. The purple, magical, what looked like flames, came to life again in the man's palm and burned your scroll to ashes. They fell from his palm, blowing away as he spoke. "My name is Orochimaru. And if you ever want see me again, then survive this exam."

"What are you talking about!? We never want to see you again!" you yelled out.

Orochimaru turned his gaze on you. He licked his lips. "I don't think it's going to work out like that."

Once again, Orochimaru's torso shot out from his waist, headed straight for you. You gasped. Something darted over to you, rushing in front of you. It was Sasuke. You could do nothing but watch as Orochimaru reached the two of you. His teeth had been bared, aiming for you; but now Sasuke was in the way. You watched as Orochimaru's fang-like teeth sunk into Sasuke's neck.

You stood, frozen, as Orochimaru removed his teeth from Sasuke's skin. His yellow eyes glittered at you, only inches from your face, before his torso darted back to its original position. Just as Orochimaru did so, Sasuke let out a deafening scream, sinking to his knees in front of you.

"Sasuke!" you cried out, dropping to your knees beside him.

You grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, trying to look at the boy's face. Your eyes caught sight of something on his neck. Your eyes narrowed as, just above the fang marks on Sasuke's neck, a sort of bruise began to appear. It looked like three black commas, situated in a circle. Sasuke screamed out again, his upper body doubling over. You quickly caught hold of him, keeping him from falling off the branch by holding his head to your chest. You held him protectively to you.

Your lips, far apart, trembled. Peering over Sasuke's head, you glared over at Orochimaru. "What the hell did you do!?"

"It seems I left him a little parting gift," Orochimaru nearly shrugged. "That was meant for you, but I suppose no harm done. I was going to come back for him later anyway."

"What are you talking about?" you all but whispered.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "It is up to you now, Nakao, to stay alive. You must ensure that the two of you make it through this exam alive."

"Who the hell are you!?" your voice cracked. "How do you know who I am!?"

"Why don't you ask Keitaro?" Orochimaru's eyes glittered in amusement.

Your lips trembled as Orochimaru slowly began to sink into the tree branch below him, like it was made out of water.

"Wait!" you called out, but it was too late. The last thing you saw was Orochimaru's smirk as his head sunk into the tree branch and he disappeared. Sasuke's scream brought your attention back to him. You hadn't realized your chin had been resting on the top of his head.

"Sasuke…" you whispered.

You shifted Sasuke's body so now his head was against your left shoulder. Now you could peer down at his face as the rest of his body remained against yours. His face was paler than usual, a ghostly white. It was scrunched together in pain and sweat was beginning to pour down his face.

Sasuke screamed out again. His body twitched as his hand grasped for yours. He gripped it tightly, making you wince in pain. Sasuke continued to squeeze your hand as he called out in pain again. His entire body was shaking.

You felt your eyes begin to water. You clutched Sasuke tightly with your free hand. You tried to keep yourself together. "Sasuke…"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open just once, only for a couple of seconds. His gaze bored into yours and for a moment, you could see everything. Pain, fear, insecurity…your heart constricted in your chest.

Then Sasuke's eyes squeezed shut again. His gave one last shout and then he seemed to collapse completely against you, becoming dead weight. You felt the pressure in your hand die. Your heart beat quickened as your eyes scanned Sasuke's face in terror.

"Sasuke…Sasuke!"

But Sasuke didn't move. He was unconscious, but his face was still contorted in agony. Your lips were trembling and you felt a tear slip down your cheek.

'This is all my fault…that was meant for me. He had to protect me…God dammit! Why am I always such a burden!?'

More tears were slipping down your face now. Sasuke's breathing was labored. It was then that you heard the quiet sounds of sniffling. Surprised, you turned your head to find Sakura standing on your branch. She was staring down at Sasuke, tears slipping down her face.

'Sakura…'

You hadn't even noticed her join you. In fact, you had completely forgotten about her for almost the entire battle. You slowly turned your eyes back to Sasuke. Carefully, you tightened your hold on Sasuke and you hugged him closer to you, burying your face in his hair.

* * *

You carefully untied Naruto's headband. You folded the blue cloth together, setting it beside the boy. You reached for the wet washcloth you had set beside you moments earlier. Folding it, you placed it across Naruto's forehead. He had a fever, although it wasn't horrible and you expected it to dissipate shortly. You just wished he'd wake up.

You gazed down at your teammate. His face revealed nothing and he wasn't even sweating. His head was resting on the round weapons pouch he usually wore around his waist. You had wanted him to have at least some cushion. You glanced over your shoulder.

Sasuke was a completely different situation. He was lying beside Naruto, currently behind you. Sakura was at his side, tending to him carefully, her face looking like she might break down any minute. She had followed your lead and had place Sasuke's weapon pouch beneath his head and had replaced his headband with a cool wash cloth.

Sasuke's condition hadn't improved at all since your fight with Orochimaru earlier. It was sunset now and his face was still twisted in pain, sweat dripping down the sides of his face. You could hardly bare to look at him, knowing it had been your fault he was like this. For that reason, you glanced away, back to your blonde haired teammate. He looked so peaceful compared to Sasuke.

"Sakura…" you said quietly without glancing back at her. "I'm going to go wet these other cloths."

You weren't watching, so you hadn't caught Sakura's nod or shake of the head, but you didn't care. You grabbed the small pile of clothes that you had placed between the two boys and got to your feet. You and Sakura had found refuge beneath a large tree. Its roots weaved in and out of the ground and were so large and thick that, because of that, the roots had formed a type of cave. You had to stoop in order to walk and you did so, exiting your hideout without a glance at either Sasuke or Sakura.

When you stepped outside, a breeze hit you. The sun was sinking lower and lower into the ground now and dusk would settle soon. Cloths in hand, you made your way through the route you had taken earlier, towards the stream where you had gotten water for the first cloths. You found it minutes later.

It was a thin stream, cutting through the land. The water was clear and was moving quite quickly. It was completely silent, aside from the crickets and sounds of other wild animals scurrying through the forest, but you felt no chakra. When you reached the bank, you suddenly fell to your knees. You dropped the cloths at your side and buried your face in your hands, resting your elbows on your knees.

'Why? Why am I so weak?'

You slowly glanced up. You were so close to the stream that you could see your reflection in the water. You watched it for a second. Your hair was frazzled and there were patches of grime on your cheeks. As you watched yourself, your body shook in anger. Giving out a cry, you threw a fist at the water, sending ripples across the surface, distorting your image.

You hated yourself right now. You were so useless! Always in the way! You were just as bad as Sakura! You watched as the water smoothed itself out and your reflection became clear again. You watched yourself in despair. Your mind wandered to Orochimaru.

He had known who you were, known who your brother was. And he had known about Itachi. How? Who was he? And why was he here? Judging by the looks of the man, he had to be in his forties _at least_. He had wanted to leave you that…that bruise? Why? For what reason? What did it do? Right now, all you could tell was that it caused you extreme pain?

And he had said that Keitaro knew who he was…

Slowly, you grabbed the cloths from beside you and began to dunk them in the river. Why was this happening? Hadn't you dealt with enough? Hadn't _Sasuke _dealt with enough?

_"I don't need you."_

You rung out the cloths and stacked them together, headed back to camp. The sun had just about set when you returned. Sakura was standing in the opening of your cave-type hideout, clearly waiting for you. You walked up to her, question written on your face.

"I was waiting for you to get back; I want to set up some traps," she told you, moving aside so you could enter the cave.

"Good idea," you said, moving past her, not even glancing back at her. You felt her leave.

You wandered over to the two boys, sitting between them. Setting the cloths on the ground beside you, you glanced over at Naruto. You put the back of your hand to his cheek; he felt normal. You then glanced over to Sasuke, repeating your actions. His skin, on the other hand, was hot, like he had been sitting out in the sun all day. You watched him sadly and replaced the cloth on his forehead.

When you replaced the cloth, you had to lean over the boy. When you finished, you didn't retract. Instead, you peered down at Sasuke's face sadly. You put a hand to his face, pushing back a stray lock of black hair. You whispered. "Why do you always have to be such an idiot? Why did you jump in the way like that? You didn't need to help me. You never let _me _help _you_."

_"They're gone; the entire Uchiha Clan," the Hokage said._

_"Every single one?" Keitaro sounded grim._

_"Except for Sasuke."_

_"How's he handling it?"_

_"He won't talk. We have him at the hospital now. I'm keeping careful surveillance on him."_

_"And what about Itachi?"_

_"Gone; Sasuke was the last one to see him."_

_Your breathing was shallow as you listened to the conversation between the Hokage and your brother. You had just come downstairs for something to drink when you had overheard the conversation. You had pressed yourself up against the hallway wall, beside the doorway to the kitchen where Keitaro and the Hokage were talking._

_You were so confused. The Uchiha Clan, gone? What did that mean? Did they just up and leave? Why was Sasuke-kun in the hospital? Was he okay? _

_You hadn't realized the two in the kitchen go quiet, until you heard Keitaro call out to you. "Nakao, I know you're there."_

_Timidly, you stepped away from the wall and into the doorway. Both Keitaro and the Hokage were watching you. Keitaro looked exhausted; he looked like that a lot now-a-days; ever since Mom and Dad died. It hadn't even been a year yet since they were killed on a mission._

_The Hokage was looking just as distressed. You thought you could see more wrinkles on his face, but maybe you were imagining it. You couldn't keep yourself from asking; you had to know about Sasuke-kun._

_"Keitaro-oniisan, what's going on?" you asked._

_"Nakao, what have I told you about eavesdropping?"_

_You would not be deterred. "What happened to Sasuke-kun?"_

_You could not stand the look Keitaro was giving you. It was a look of near sympathy, though you couldn't understand why. It was beginning to make you panic._

_"Is Sasuke-kun hurt?" you whispered. _

_Keitaro sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "Nakao…you need to leave Sasuke alone for a while."_

_"Why? Tell me!" you demanded._

_Keitaro glanced to the Hokage, and the Hokage glanced to him. The Hokage gave a slight nod and Keitaro sighed. He looked down to you. "Nakao…the Uchiha Clan…was killed last night."_

_"Killed?" it was like you had never heard the word before. "I don't get it…"_

_"Nakao, everyone in the Uchiha Clan was killed last night."_

_"Except for Sasuke-kun…? What about Itachi-san?"_

_Keitaro sighed loudly. He looked like it was physically paining him to talk about this._

_"Nakao…Itachi-san…Itachi…is the one who killed everyone. Everyone but Sasuke. He's gone now."_

_"And what about Sasuke-kun…? You said he was in the hospital…is he hurt?" that was all you cared about right now._

_Keitaro glanced uncertainly at the Hokage before glancing back to you. "No, Nakao but-"_

_You didn't want to hear any more. You dashed to the door, grabbing your ninja sandals._

_"Nakao, no!" Keitaro tried to stop you, rushing for you._

_You dashed out the door before he could grab you. You pulled on your sandals in record timing as you got outside, then sprinted away from your home. You thought you could find the hospital from here. You had played on these streets how many times?_

_You were gasping for air as you ran, but you didn't stop to catch your breath. Your eight-year-old mind could barely comprehend the situation. Sasuke's parents were dead…and his brother was gone. You remembered when you had first found out your parents had died…you had been devastated. Sasuke had been there for you…he had been your rock. All you could think about now was getting to him. Now it was your turn to be with him. He had lost more than his parents…_

_You finally found the hospital, although you thought you had gotten lost along the way. You threw open the doors, rushing inside. Everything was white; the walls, the tiled flooring, even the outfits that the nurses wore. You were short enough to rush past the receptionist desk without even being caught._

_You had no idea where you were going; and the thought hadn't even phased you. You were going to find Sasuke, that's all you knew. As you ran down a long hallway, lined with doors that had bold, black numbers printed on them, you spotted a group of people standing at the end of the hall, slightly to the left in the perpendicular hallway. _

_You came to a complete stop, trying to quiet your obnoxious breathing. There was a group of men talking in hushed voices. They were just around the corner now, huddled in front of a door. There were several men, none who you recognized. One caught your attention, for he was particularly odd. He had silver hair, spiked up in all directions._

_"How is he doing?" one of the men murmured._

_"He hasn't said one word."_

_'Sasuke-kun…'_

_Counting to ten, you bolted around the corner, your eyes trained on the door. You rushed past the men, catching their attention. They called out, moving to stop you, but you already had your hand on the doorknob. You pushed the door open, running inside._

_Sasuke was sitting on a hospital bed. His lap was covered with white sheets. He was sitting up and had had his head bowed, his black bangs covering his face. But as you entered, Sasuke slowly looked up. When you looked into Sasuke's eyes, you felt suddenly in the presence of a stranger. Sasuke's eyes looked…different. You couldn't explain it; but he wasn't looking at you like he normally did._

_"Sasuke…" you breathed. You ran forward towards his bed, stopping at his bedside. You didn't even take note that the men hadn't followed you inside, even though you had left the door completely ajar. You placed both hands on the mattress, looking at Sasuke. "Sasuke, are you okay?"_

_Sasuke only watched you for a second before looking away. There was a large window to his right, and this is where he had turned his attention. Your eyebrows crinkled together in confusion. You placed a small hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke, are you-"_

_"Don't touch me!" Sasuke snapped, yanking his shoulder away from you._

_You gasped, shocked, your hand still hanging in midair. Sasuke never yelled at you; had never yelled at you. _

_"Sasuke, I-"_

_"What do you want?" he asked; he sounded angry. He wasn't even looking at you._

_"I…" you suddenly felt lost. "I came to see you. I thought you would need me-"_

_"I don't need you," Sasuke turned his head, glaring at you. It was the worst sight you had ever seen, maybe besides for your parents' funeral. His glare was cold, even colder than the glare Keitaro would give you when he was punishing you. _

_Your lips trembled. You felt…crushed. Why was Sasuke angry at you? Why didn't he want you?_

_"Nakao!"_

_You turned around to see Keitaro burst through the door. He ran forward, grabbing you by the upper arm. Without a word, he began to drag you from the room. You tried to dig your heels into the floor, but to not prevail._

_"Sasuke!" you called out, glancing back at the boy. He wouldn't even look up at you as you were dragged from the room and he was suddenly gone from your vision._

You had been watching the wall across from you while you had thought, but now you turned your attention back to Sasuke. You watched him carefully. "You never spoke to me after that day…even when I tried to talk to you. You ignored me, like I was no one. Like our promise had meant nothing. I eventually had to give up."

You glanced away from Sasuke, back to the wall again. Sakura hadn't come back yet, though you could see the sky was now a deep blue from the entryway. You didn't know why you were talking aloud like this; it was stupid, but you couldn't keep the words from slipping from your lips.

"I was…so mad at you. Mad at you for leaving me, abandoning me. _I _needed you. So I tried to forget…through all the years in the academy. I tried to convince myself that the person you had turned into; this quiet, uncaring, pompous asshole, was who you really were. I couldn't let myself think that maybe you were still under that sherade, because then I'd never be able to forget."

You let out a sad laugh, shaking your head. Your voice grew quieter as you sat back, drawing your knees to your chest. You rested your chin atop them.

"You made me cry, Sasuke. I would cry every night, missing you. I felt like you had betrayed everything and abandoned me. When Kiba came along…I stopped crying. But you were…you were my everything. When I was around you…you were all I needed. When I was around you…the pain had always slipped away…"

You trailed off, listening to the ambiance around you. Finally, you shook your head, letting out another laugh. "Listen to how crazy I sound right now. I sound like Sakura."

On cue, the pink-haired kunoichi stepped back into the den. You barely glanced at her as she did so. There was a leaf in her hair. She looked to you hopefully. "Did they wake up?"

You only shook your head solemnly. Sakura's expression mirrored your despair. Sakura took a seat on Sasuke's other side and pulled out a kunai. As the night wore on, Sakura began to nod off; her head shaking violently every time she started to fall asleep until finally, around one in the morning, her chin fell to her chest and she was asleep.

You watched her momentarily, then looked back to the boys. You were exhausted too, and the thought of sleep was welcoming, but you couldn't sleep. Someone needed to be look out, and it was just as well that it'd be you. After all…this was your entire fault. You glanced down to Sasuke; that should be you.

You checked Sasuke's fever again to see that it hadn't improved. You tried to replace the cloth, though at this point, they weren't much cooler. You couldn't leave the den to get them wet again either; you'd have to wait until morning. And then what were you going to do?

Were you going to hide out here until the exam ended? Or were you going to put up a fighting chance? If Sasuke or Naruto didn't wake up, that would require you and Sakura to tote the two boys around. There's no way you could get two scrolls that way. Unless you hid out somewhere and ambushed some ninja. That could work.

The hours dragged on and you fought sleep; until finally, the sun began to peek out over the horizon. It cast its pink and orange light over the ground outside. You could just barely see the clearing outside of your den from your position.

Close to an hour later, Sakura finally began to stir. You glanced over, watching her peel her eyelids open. She blinked several times until she finally figured out where she was. She hurriedly glanced over to Sasuke, then caught your eyes.

"Did they wake up?" she asked hopefully.

"No," you replied.

You sighed, glancing away. She mumbled. "Sorry…I fell asleep."

You only shrugged, feeling listless and tired. The rustling of bushes suddenly caught your attention. You immediately snapped to attention and rushed to the entrance of your den. Kneeling just at the entrance way, you peeked around the corner. A hand hovered over your weapon belt. Sakura, too, behind you, fumbled with her kunai, like she had never held one before.

You watched the bush rustle until something appeared. Said something was a brown squirrel. You sighed, your tense body immediately relaxing. Sakura too, slumped back. You sat on your behind against the wall beside the entrance. Now that your body was at ease, you felt exhausted again.

'I'd give anything for sleep…'

"Hehe, up all night?"

Your spine stiffened. Sakura snapped to, for she had started to nod off again. You peered around the small corner to see the clearing before you. This time, there was no squirrel, but three people.

Your eyes narrowed. Two males and one female were standing at the edge of your clearing, all wearing cameo pants and had Sound headbands. They were the ninjas from the first exam, the ones who had attacked Kabuto for now reason.

In front of the group, seemingly the leader, the male with the bandages wrapped around his entire head, stepped forward. His shirt looked way too big for him, as his sleeves practically draped his wrists. On his back looked like a bunch of fur. He walked hunched over, so you watched as he waddled forwards. "Can you wake Sasuke for us? We'd like to fight him."

As Sakura's mind seemed to struggle to comprehend the situation, you were already on the move. You exited the den, stand directly in front,

"Why? Why do you want to fight him?" you demanded. "Who the hell are you!?"

"We know Orochimaru is pulling the strings! What's his purpose!?" Sakura piped up, still sitting on her knees in the den. You wanted to groan. Why couldn't she ever keep her mouth shut?

You took out your daggers, holding them in front of you. You kept your eyes trained on the three ninja and chose to ignore the fact that you were outnumbered. The other male whose hair was spiked and was wearing a yellow shirt, let out a laugh and stepped forward. "I'll take care of her."

"No, Zaku!" the fuzzy-backed ninja warned, holding an arm out to halt his teammate. "We're supposed to leave her to Natsuo."

You narrowed your eyes. The boy named Zaku looked to his male teammate, annoyed. "Well what are we supposed to do with her?"

"Keep her out of the way," Dosu turned his attention to you. "I'll give you one last chance to wake Sasuke for us."

You glared. "You'll have to kill me first."

The fuzzy-backed ninja narrowed his one, visible eye at you. You glanced over your shoulder at Sakura. "No matter what happens to me, do **not **leave their side."

Sakura's mouth gaped open slightly but, finally, she nodded, visibly swallowing against her throat. You turned your attention back to the Sound team.

"Can I do it, Dosu?" Zaku asked. His eyes were gleaming with excitement.

"You always get to have the fun, Zaku. Give everyone else a turn," the girl turned a smirk on you.

Were they seriously arguing over who was going to fight you? The ninja named Dosu spoke up, never taking his eyes off of you. "Neither of you can do it. Remember Natsuo? Kin, she'll just use her kekki genki to knock your needles away and to counter your wind, Zaku."

You gritted your teeth together. So they knew about your power. 'Natsuo…?'

So Natsuo was involved in this. How? What was the connection? And how did he know about your power? You supposed you shouldn't be surprised; he knew everything else about you. Dosu waddled towards you. You tensed until Dosu suddenly stopped. He bent down, lifting up a patch of grass.

"There's a trap here…" Dosu glanced in your direction. "There's no point in setting a trap if you can't do it properly."

'Dammit, Sakura!" She couldn't even set up a trap right? You tried to calm your irritation-you were angry at the Sound ninjas, not her. You watched carefully as Dosu began to move forward again.

Your fingers ran through handsigns, activating your kekki genki. You felt your wind pulse around your body. Dosu did not look concerned. You glared, waiting for Dosu to get closer. He was about three feet away from you when you started your next string of handsigns. You took in a deep breath of air, held it momentarily, then exhaled.

Fire leapt to life around you. It shot out so fiercely that Dosu stopped in his tracks. You watched him, silently daring him to come closer; but as the moments ticked on, he did not advance. You knew what you had to do.

You concentrated, pulling the chakra to your blades. The metal became alit as flames danced along the blades. Without giving yourself time to think over your plan, you rushed forwards, leaving Sakura to stand guard over your unconscious teammates.

You slashed at Dosu and he jumped back. You kept your wind swirling around your entire body. You followed Dosu relentlessly; swinging your blades continually. Finally, your blade caught one of Dosu's overly long sleeves. It lit up like kindling. You felt sweat roll down the side of your face. 'I got him.'

Your victory didn't last long. From Dosu's right, Zaku lifted his hands, palms facing Dosu. In the middle of each palm were two, hallow holes. From these, wind exploded, killing the fire on Dosu's sleeve. You scowled. Shit. Dosu had back up and you didn't. Were you crazy to think you could take these three on by yourself?

'No.' You squeezed the handles of your daggers. You _had _to take these three on. It was your responsibility to protect Sasuke and Naruto.

You stopped your onslaught and stood, watching Dosu. The whirling sound of your wind filled your ears. The sleeve that you had burned had been hiding a device on Dosu's arm. It was a oval-shaped, silver contraption strapped to his arm. Several holes were cut into the metal. Now it was clearly visible and Dosu was raising it.

You reinforced your wind, pumping extra chakra into it. The flames roared, also becoming empowered. Dosu seemed to concentrate like he was pulling forth chakra. You saw the device physically pulse, but you saw nothing. You were staring suspiciously at the ninja when, suddenly, you felt something slam into your eardrums. The pain was indescribable and new. It was like someone was shoving a senbon straight into your ears, roughly.

You cried in pain, falling to your knees. The fire around you died out, but wind still swirled around you. Your blades fell to the ground as you put your hands over your ears, pulling them away and finding them coated in crimson. Your hands began to shake and your vision grew blurry.

'Wh-what the hell is this!?'

Your concentration and control shattered. You were vaguely aware that your wind suddenly ceased to be. A pair of feet entered your vision. You glanced up to find Dosu standing over you, peering down at you. His image was blurry. He reached out, wrapping a hand around your throat. You began to choke. You tried to flail, struggle. But with no success. Like a ragdoll, Dosu tossed you to the side.

You hit the ground, rolling; dirt rising up all around you. You coughed, pushing yourself off the ground. Heir fell around your shoulders as you glanced up. Dosu was waddling towards your den. Zaku and Kin hovered a short ways behind him. You felt groggy. 'No…'

Shakily, you brought your fingers together. 'Arashi Kamekaze.'

With a surge of chakra, you sent a strong blast of wind cutting right in front of Dosu. Dosu was knocked over and he rolled back several feet. Breathing heavily, you clambered to your feet. Your vision was still blurry and you felt sleepy, but you wouldn't let this be it. You couldn't figure out what was happening to you; it was like your equilibrium was completely thrown off. You distantly remembered when Kabuto had thrown up, even though you had never seen him actually got hit by Dosu.

The Sound ninja glanced over in your direction. You saw Zaku step forward. You moved to surround yourself with wind, but Zaku was faster. He raised his palms, sending a blast of wind in your direction.

Zaku's wind was strong like yours and it knocked you off your feet. You flew backwards until you were caught by a tree trunk. You slammed into it so hard that blood flew from your mouth. The wind pinned you against the tree, leaving you stuck and defenseless.

The wind cut at you like dozens of razor blades. Cuts began to open on your skin. It didn't matter if your skin was covered by clothing; the wind was slicing your clothing apart as well. It was painful, vaguely reminding you of the time you had been caught in Haku's mirrors.

It seemed like forever but, finally, the wind died down. You fell to the ground, back against the tree trunk. Your skin was stinging and itching in some places as blood leaked from wounds and ran down your skin.

"Tch, how pathetic. Are you sure Natsuo wants to waste his time with this weakling?" Zaku sniffed, glancing over his shoulder to Dosu.

Your head lolled against your shoulders. Your entire body felt sore. 'Sasuke…'

You tried to get to your feet, using the tree behind you to help you up. Zaku noticed and smirked. Zaku slammed an elbow into your stomach. You lost the air in your lungs and fell to your knees, grasping at your stomach. You gasped for air.

"Let's just get this over with," you heard Kin say, seemingly bored.

'Bitch…' was all you could think as you struggled to regain your breath. You managed to lift your head up, sitting back on your knees and peering past Zaku. Dosu was walking over towards the den. You couldn't see Sakura from this angle but you could just picture her; shaking, her green eyes wide in fear.

'No…' Sakura was going to get slaughtered, and then Sasuke would be next. Placing your palms on the ground, you began to push yourself up. Zaku must have noticed because, as you worked on getting up, you heard him sigh.

"Dosu, she won't stay down," Zaku told his teammate, aggravated.

"She's just one girl," you heard Dosu respond, sounding just as annoyed.

You got to your feet. You nearly stumbled at first, as everything was dizzy, but you gained composure. Zaku was watching you, a grin on his face. Behind him, you could see Dosu moving towards the rest of your team. Blood pulsed in your ears. You weren't going to let these ninja kill your teammates; not while you still breathed.

Zaku, amused, opened his palms, aiming them straight at your face. You and him were only about a foot away from one another. You could hear a swooshing noise come from Zaku's palms. Your hands groped around your weapon belt, only to discover with a sinking heart, that your daggers were not there.

Zaku hned. "Say goodnight."

'No!'

Using all of your might, you ran straight into Zaku, plowing your elbow into his stomach. He let out a yelp of pain as you continued to push him backwards until he tripped over his own feet, falling onto his back on the ground. You landed on top of him, aiming a punch for his face. Zaku, with wide eyes and caught your wrist. You tried to use the other hand, but he caught that one too. The two of you began to struggle against one another on the ground.

You didn't know how long you fought with the boy before something suddenly grabbed your hair. You cried out in pain as someone yanked you off of Zaku. You were thrown onto the ground on your back. You glanced up to find Kin standing over you. Moments later, Zaku was on his feet, looking down at you too.

"You bitch," Zaku spat.

You squirmed, trying to get up, but Zaku put a quick end to that. He stomped a foot down on your stomach, causing you to cry out. Drops of blood flew from your mouth, raining down on your lips.

"Konoha Whirlwind!"

A flash of green entered your vision. You sucked in a breath of air in surprise.


	19. Storm Clouds Ahead

Something suddenly plowed into Zaku, knocking him away from you and clear across the clearing. You took advantage of the distraction to move away from Kin. Although you were still dizzy and breathless, you managed to crawl away. You finally collapsed, several feet away, and turned your head to see what in the world was going on.

There was a new person in the clearing now. He stood in front of the entrance of the cave; which you could see now. You could see Sakura still sitting inside, her arms folded atop her head. Though, as you looked up at the new arrival, they slowly began to lower. He had black hair and was wearing a green suit.

Dosu was now further away from the den than he had been moments ago. Whether he had been forced back or not, you did not know. On the opposite side of the clearing, Zaku got to his feet, glaring at the new ninja. Kin was still looking surprised several feet in front of you.

Dosu's eye narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Konoha's beautiful green beast, Rock Lee!"

Sakura stared at Lee's back. "Wh-why are you here?"

"When you are in danger Sakura, I will appear anytime," Lee said, facing the sound ninjas.

"But right now, I am your enemy too, Lee," Sakura nearly whispered.

If you hadn't felt so drained, you would have rolled your eyes, but you didn't want to waste your waning energy. But you still felt annoyed. Leave it to Sakura to screw up your assistance. Or try to, anyway.

"I told you before Sakura, that I will protect you to the death," Lee said, his black hair blowing across his face slightly.

_"My name is Rock Lee. Yours is Sakura. Let's go out! I'll protect you until I die!" _

You watched Rock Lee as you began to regain your breath. You still felt dizzy and like your balance was thrown off, but at least your vision was beginning to focus. Lee had saved you…

"We have no other choice," the fuzzy-backed ninja commented after a pregnant pause, holding up an earth scroll. "Zaku, I'll leave Sasuke to you."

Dosu tossed Zaku the scroll, which he caught. Dosu then turned his attention to Lee and Sakura, bending his knees like he was ready to leap. "I'll handle these two."

"Okay Dosu," Zaku smirked.

You watched as Dosu leapt into the air, flashing the contraption on his arm. Lee dug an arm into the ground, pulling out a gigantic tree root like it was nothing; using it as a sort of shield. Dosu's arm hit the root, shattering it to pieces which flew around in the breeze.

"Your attack has a trick to it, right?" Lee predicted.

Lee began to unwrap the bandages on his arm, like he had started to do during his fight with Sasuke. Dosu ran forward. Lee held a handsign to his face, although you knew he couldn't use chakra. Dosu ran forward, straight for Lee, but suddenly, he disappeared.

Dosu's eyes widened, surprised. You were still a bit taken aback by Lee's speed. Suddenly, Lee appeared under Dosu, kicking his jaw and sending him flying upwards. "I'm not done yet!" Lee yelled, jumping up behind Dosu.

The bandages around Lee's arm began to unwrap and proceeded to begin wrapping themselves around Dosu's body. Lee embraced Dosu and the two of them went sailing towards the ground. You sucked in a breath of hair; that could snap Dosu's neck!

"Take this! Secondary Lotus!" Lee yelled as he and Dosu spun rapidly towards the earth.

As Lee pulverized Dosu into the ground and Lee jumped away, Zaku stuck his hands into the dirt. The smoke cleared and Dosu's legs stuck out of the mound of dirt around him. Lee landed on the ground, watching Dosu's legs. Dosu's legs started to twitch and he pushed himself up, shakily getting to his feet.

Lee's eyes widened. "This cannot be!"

"Wow, if Zaku hadn't softened the dirt, I could have been killed..." Dosu noticed nonchalantly. Lee stood, panting. Dosu revealed his contraption again. "Now it's my turn."

Dosu ran at Lee, aiming a punch for his face. Lee dodged but suddenly, he stumbled. You swallowed against your throat. He was probably feeling what you had; complete loss of equilibrium and blurry vision.

"You move fast, I'll give you that much," Dosu commented. "But my sound moves faster."

Lee's eyes shook and he fell towards the ground. He landed on his knees, one eye closed, the other one still trying to watch Dosu. He then convulsed and leaned forwards, vomiting. Blood ran from one ear. Lee shakily put a hand to his ear.

"There _is _a little trick to my attack; one that you cannot dodge," Dosu informed smugly.

"Wh-What's the trick?" Sakura asked; she sounded terrified.

"Sound. You can dodge my fist, but you can't dodge the sound."

"S-Sound…" Lee murmered.

"Do you know what sound is?" Dosu asked.

'Vibrations…' you swallowed against your throat. 'Of course…'

"Vibrations…" Sakura voiced your thoughts.

"Being able to hear something means that your eardrum catches the vibration in the ear," Dosu tugged on his ear. "And the human eardrum will shatter at anything above 150 decibels. On top of that, by applying a shock to the semicircular canals, an opponent will lose his sense of balance."

'So that's what he hit me with…' you frowned. You glanced to Kin, whose full attention was on Dosu and Lee. You needed to start planning something; and Lee wouldn't be able to help.

Zaku took his hands from the dirt, showing Lee his palms. They had round holes in the center of each of them. "I can control supersonic waves and air pressure. I can completely destroy something as tough as a rock."

You glanced down to the cuts all over your body and the rips in your clothing.

"Okay, you're next," Dosu decided to move on, turning his attention to Sakura.

Sakura gasped. You jumped to your feet, eyes wide. Suddenly, something to Dosu's right, caught his eye.

"Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee went to kick Dosu but ended up crying in pain as blood trickled down his face.

Lee's kick failed and he fell to the ground. Lee quickly stood in front of Sakura and Dosu ran at Lee. Dosu went for a hit at Lee's side but Lee held an arm there to block. Dosu activated his technique and amplified sound rang from the device on his right arm. Lee held back Dosu's arm but the sound waves still slammed into his ear drums.

"Lee..." Sakura muttered. Lee screamed out in pain.

Your eyes shook. You couldn't watch this.

"Now then, time to finish you off," Dosu said, raising his arm again.

"No!" you yelled.

Dosu whirled around and his eyes widened. You took him by surprise, having rushed past Kin too quick for her to catch you. You plowed into Dosu, knocking him off of his feet. You sat on his abdomen, knees on either side. You took out a kunai, aiming it for his face.

Dosu's eye narrowed in amusement before he activated the device on his arm. His arm could only have been a foot away from your face; too close to your eardrums. The sound vibrations slammed into your eardrums. You felt like something inside your ear exploded.

You screamed out in pain, automatically dropping your kunai and grasping at your ears with both hands. With no effort, Dosu pushed you off of him and you rolled onto the ground. You squeezed your eyes shut, hands over your ears. Your hearing was zoning out and your head felt like it may crack in half. With this pain, you half wished that it would.

Shakily, you pulled your hands away from your ears and tried opening your eyes. Everything was blurry and you couldn't see anything sharply. You brought shaky hands to your face, but you could hardly make out their outline; though you could see bright, red blood. Your stomach suddenly churned violently and you rolled over, emptying the contents in your stomach all over the ground.

Faintly, you heard Sakura scream in the background. You groaned, digging your fingernails into the dirt. You tried your best to look in the direction you knew she was. Everything was still blurry, but you could make out Sakura. She was now sitting outside of the den on her knees. Kin was behind her with…a fistful of Sakura's hair in her hand, keeping her from movie. At least, that's what you thought you were seeing.

'Sakura…' you were trying to push yourself up. Your head was pulsating. You wanted to fall back down, go to sleep, close your eyes, but you couldn't. You chanted to yourself in your head. 'Get up, get up.'

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

The voice faded in and out. Before you could identify who it was, you were grabbed by the collar of your shirt. You were being yanked up. You were trying to look around, but everything was a swirl of colors. You were standing on your feet, but someone was holding you up. You felt something cold against your neck.

"Zaku! We are under strict orders _not _to kill her!" Dosu yelled. It sounded very faint to you, although you knew he wasn't very far away.

"She's causing too much trouble!" Zaku yelled back angrily. He threw you face-first into the ground.

You coughed, pouring effort into pushing your upper body up. You tasted a coppery flavor in your mouth and spit out a good mouthful of blood. Some dribbled onto your lips. You coughed again-blood sputtering from your lips.

Zaku took out a kunai. "Can't I cut a hand off or something?"

From your new position on the ground, you could see Dosu. He had stopped, glancing over his shoulder to you and Zaku. He sounded annoyed. "I don't care-just don't kill her."

Panic exploded in your chest as you tried to get to your feet, but with no prevail. Zaku sneered down, reaching for your right wrist. You let out a cry of fear and managed to twist your body, ranking your fingers across his cheek. He called out, stepping backwards as his hand flew to his wound. Four deep claw marks were beginning to bleed.

Breathing heavily, you wasted no time. Using last reserves of energy, you somehow managed to get on your feet. The ground swirled beneath you. You took one step backwards before bumping into someone. You glanced over your shoulder to find Kin smirking at you.

"You're such a stupid girl," she sneered.

Your mind was trying to concentrate, but it was incredibly difficult. Wasn't she just by Sakura? Where was Sakura now? Was Sasuke okay? Naruto?

Kin stuck out an arm, shoving you forwards. You would have fallen straight to the ground, if you hadn't been caught. You glanced up, finding you had been pushed into Zaku. He was glaring down at you, drops of blood sliding down his cheek.

Roughly, Zaku grabbed you by the wrists. Holding them apart, he began to squeeze tightly. You winced, but Zaku only squeezed harder, a crazed look on his face. "I'm going to shatter your wrists for that stunt."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Everyone in the clearing, including you and Zaku, glanced upwards. It was hard for you to focus, but the longer you looked, the clearer you were able to see. And right now, Zaku was keeping you upright. Standing on a high tree branch overlooking the clearing were two Leaf ninja, a male and a female. It was Hyuuga Neji and his female teammate; Lee's team.

"Who the hell are you!?" Zaku demanded, snapping out of his momentary surprise.

Neji nodded towards his fallen comrade, unconscious on the ground. "That was our teammate."

Neji's voice had a way of sounding calm, yet sinister at the same time. He activated his kekki genki, which was doujutsu. The Hyuuga clan could see chakra points in the body and were able to turn them off, leaving your chakra reserves inaccessible. Suddenly, Neji seemed to pause.

"What's the matter tough guy, aren't you going to come down and fight me?" Zaku mocked.

Neji smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "No. It appears that won't be necessary."

Zaku looked confused. You couldn't see very much else, due to the dizziness and Zaku's hold on you. Then a voice filled the clearing.

"Get your hands off of her…**now**!"

'Sasuke!'

You tried to twist your body around, using Zaku as your support. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice. Peering over your shoulder, you found Sasuke standing in the middle of the clearing. At least, you thought it was Sasuke. He was slouched over and his skin was covered in black markings. They were small waves that looked tattooed across his skin. Emanating from his body appeared to be…purple chakra? It swirled around him rapidly, much like your wind did.

Currently, Sasuke had his eyes rested on you and Zaku. A chill ran down your spine as you watched Sasuke. His presence felt foreign to you; not like the presence you were accustomed to…comfortable with. This presence around Sasuke now was…almost evil. And the emotion in Sasuke's eyes now weren't the usual guarded but calm demeanor that you were used to, but were full of pure hatred and…bloodlust.

Everyone in the clearing was dead silent until Sasuke spoke again. His voice sounded angry, angrier than you had ever heard it. "I said, let her go."

Zaku finally seemed to regain his composure and sneered. "Or what?"

Zaku shook you for good measure. You lost your footing and collapse to the ground, landing face-first. You lifted your upper body up, coughing out blood.

"Sasuke...your body..." Sakura murmered, staring up at Sasuke from her spot on the ground. Glancing to her, you noticed for the first time that her hair was cut short and her headband was missing.

Sasuke brought up his left arm, gazing at the black markings that covered it and the rest of his body. "It's okay. I feel power surging through my body...He gave this to me."

Your eyes shook as you watched your teammate. He was the same Sasuke…but there was something off about him. Was it this…this thing Orochimaru bestowed on Sasuke? Is this what it was? What you were supposed to have. At that moment, something pushed up against your throat and you coughed out blood again, it splattering across the ground.

Sasuke's head snapped up, his vision returning to you. "Answer me Nakao, who was the one that hurt you?"

You could only gape at Sasuke. Now that you stared at him, your vision was becoming blurry again. You squeezed your eyes shut momentarily, trying to stop the spinning. Before you could even respond, Zaku smirked. "That would be me."

Zaku aimed a kick at your side, completely knocking you back down. You gave out a cry of pain and curled in on yourself. You couldn't take this anymore. There was no way you could fight anymore. The fact that you had made it this far was a wonder. You glanced back up in time to see Sasuke's eyes darken with rage. It terrified you.

Zaku sniffed, clapping his hands together once. "I'll end this."

"Zaku, no!" Dosu warned.

Zaku ignored Dosu and held his palms out to Sasuke, revealing the holes in his palms. "Ultimate Zankuuha!"

A fierce wind erupted from the holes in Zaku's palms. The wind cut at the barks of trees and left a huge ditch in the ground. You flung an arm in front of your face as debris whipped around you. When it died down, you immediately looked back up. Your heart pounded, your eyes searching desperately for Sasuke, but you could not find him.

"Was he blown to pieces?" Zaku asked himself eagerly as the clouds of dust cleared down. This comment made your heart sink.

"Was who?" Zaku's eyes widened as Sasuke now stood behind him. You tried to glance over your shoulder, relief flooding your system. Sasuke stretched his arm out, hitting Zaku in the back of the head and sending him flying away from you. As Zaku let out a slight moan and got to his knees, Sasuke began preforming handsigns. "Fire element, Mythical Fire Flower!"

Your eyes reflected orange as dozens of fireballs flew from Sasuke's body towards Zaku.

"So what, I'll blast them away!" Zaku smirked cockily and held up his palms, sending a blast of slicing air towards the fireballs. The air blew away the fire to reveal shuriken whizzing at Zaku. Zaku held his arms in front of his face as the shuriken tore at his body.

Dosu's eyes widened. "Zaku! Below!"

Zaku didn't have enough time to look as Sasuke appeared at Zaku's legs. Sasuke stood behind Zaku, grabbing both of Zaku's arms. He held them behind Zaku's back as Sasuke's right foot rested on Zaku's back, pushing Zaku towards the earth. A sickening grin appeared on Sasuke's face. "You seem very proud of your arms. Very _attached_ to them."

Goose bumps rose on your skin. This wasn't good. Sasuke was on a rampage! You didn't like watching him like this. Not when he…wasn't himself. Whatever this was on his body was making him nothing but a blood-lusting soldier. It made your body shake.

Sasuke began to pull at Zaku's arms as he pushed Zaku the opposite way. There was a sickening crack and you quickly looked away. Zaku's scream pierced the air. You glanced back to find Zaku's arms swing back to his sides, completely broken. Sasuke smirked and pushed him to the ground. Sasuke watched Zaku for a moment before turning and watching Dosu.

"Your turn," Sasuke grinned wickedly. Dosu's eyes widened as Sasuke spoke in his merciless voice. "I hope you let me have some fun."

As Sasuke advanced towards Dosu, despair ripped through your chest. You couldn't let Sasuke act like this. You wanted _your _Sasuke back. The one you could mess with and only get an annoyed frown, not…not _this_.

Placing your palms on the ground, you shakily tried to get up. Sasuke moved closer and closer to Dosu as you finally managed to get to your knees, then wobbly got to your feet. Your thoughts couldn't keep up with your body and you were moving. You weren't sure how you were doing it, or what was driving you, but soon, you were nearing Sasuke.

You flung yourself onto Sasuke's back, wrapping your arms around his front. You buried your forehead into Sasuke's shirt, smelling his familiar scent of morning forest. As you spoke, you sounded exhausted…felt exhausted. You whispered. "Sasuke…please…please stop."

Sasuke immediately stopped walking, glancing over his shoulder to you. Surprise registered across his face. Before everyone's eyes, the black marks on Sasuke's skin glowed a bright orange, and then seemed to recede back into the mark on his neck.

You felt Sasuke wobble as you removed your face from his back. He was beginning to fall, like he had lost all strength. You tried your to keep him from falling forwards, but you were weak yourself, so the two of you fell down at the same time. You fell completely on your back, while Sasuke only landed on his backside.

As you hit the ground, you wheezed. You rolled over, coughing blood out onto the ground. You bowed your head, resting your forehead against an arm. You were exhausted.

"Nakao?"

'Sasuke?'

Carefully, you glanced to your side. Sasuke was still sitting, watching you. His face revealed nothing but confusion and…concern? You felt a sense of relief wash over you. _This _Sasuke you recognized.

"Nakao, are you alright?" Sasuke's eyes scoured your body, taking in the cuts and bruises and the blood leaking from almost every part of your body.

'Does he…not remember anything?' you wondered, watching your teammate.

Before you could reply, a shadow fell over the two of you. Both of you glanced up to find Dosu standing over you. He had an unconscious Zaku slung over one shoulder, and Kin on the other. What had happened to Kin, you weren't really sure.

"Sasuke, you are strong. We cannot be you this time," Dosu offered Sasuke the Earth scroll.

Still confused as ever, Sasuke took the Earth scroll from the Sound ninja. Dosu looked relieved. You watched in silence as Dosu turned around and began to waddle away. As he disappeared into the forestry, you slowly worked on getting up. You were about to fall back down, when something caught you around the waist. Sasuke pulled you up into a sitting position, or, tried. You were too weak to even sit up straight on your own and you ended up falling towards him.

Sasuke caught you by the shoulders and you glanced up, violet-shaded eyes looking into his onyx ones. There were so many emotions rushing through Sasuke's eyes right now. Several you could recognize; confusion, concern, pain, and then there were several you could not identify. You expected Sasuke to push you away, but he didn't. Instead, he continued to hold you steady. As you watched his face, you felt heat creep into yours.

"Are you okay?" you finally whispered, breaking the silence.

Letting go of one of your shoulders, Sasuke's left hand moved to cover the mark on his neck subconsciously. Concentration flashed across his face. You watched him with sad eyes. Why were you always such a burden?

Sasuke's right hand was still on your shoulder; and you were very aware of it. You looked away, squeezing your eyes shut. 'I'm sorry, Sasuke…'

* * *

You placed several logs in a teepee formation. Several small branches and dry grass rested between the logs. Doing several handsigns, you took in a breath of air and let it out, shooting your flames onto the logs and brush. It ignited in a second, crackling merrily.

You sighed, sitting back on your behind. It had been your duty to set up the fire for dinner. Well, Sakura was supposed to help but so far all she had done was sit across from you in a sour mood. She refused to talk to you most of the time; which was fine with you, but odd. She wasn't even attempting to start fights with you, although it looked like she wanted to.

You glanced to the girl now. She was staring into the flames, knees brought up to her chest. She looked irritated more than sad. Was it something you had done? God only knows and you didn't care. As you glanced away from her, two more people wandered into your clearing.

You glanced over as Sasuke and Naruto joined you and Sakura by the fire. Each of them had fish in their hands. The fish were wiggling in their arms, although you thought they were probably dead by now. Taking fish from the boys one by one, you began to shove sturdy sticks through their bodies, propping them up against the fire so that they would cook. Everyone took a seat around the fire.

"It's been four days since the start of the exam," Sasuke finally said, grabbing your attention. He was watching the fire, reaching in his pocket and withdrawing your Earth scroll. He stared at it for a moment before setting it down on the ground beside him. "We only have about a day left of the exam."

"Most of the teams have probably finished already," Sakura commented. She reached for a fish, grabbing it by the stick and bringing it towards her mouth. She took a small bite, then lowered her fish sadly. "It may be possible that there are no Heaven scrolls left. There are five days of this exam, and it's the fourth day. That means we've used up eighty percent of the exam already. There are eighty-two participants, or twenty-seven teams."

"There are fifteen Heaven scrolls and fifteen Earth. So that means of those twenty-seven teams, only fifteen can pass," you murmured solemnly, staring into the flames. You also reached for a fish.

"But remember, Orochimaru burned our Heaven scroll," Sakura reminded you. "So now only fourteen teams can pass."

"And that's assuming all the other scrolls haven't been destroyed either," you sighed, taking your last bite of your fish and tossing the stick over your shoulder.

"We took too long to recover, we need to pick up our pace today if we plan on completing this exam," Sasuke said. "The next enemy we face could be our last chance."

You glanced over to your teammate. Had your team really taken too long to recover? You supposed your injuries had healed for the most part. Bruises still remained as well as several deep cuts that were still trying to scab over. Sakura was fine aside from her short hair-which apparently she had cut so she could free herself from Kin. Naruto had awoken right after the Sound team had left, completely find and oblivious. Sasuke was alright now, though a lot of times you could tell he was tired and often lost in thought.

Sasuke sighed and stood up. "I'm going to go get some water."

Your team silently watched Sasuke walk away, holding a canteen in his hand. You then turned your attention back to Naruto and Sakura. Naruto was greedily devouring as much fish as possible; his entire focus poured into that. Sakura was still watching Sasuke until you were about to look away. She caught your eye at the last second.

You knew from experience that Sakura wanted to say something to you. You knew whatever she had to say was stupid and would only start a fight. You had no intention of letting that happen now. You had enough to worry about without Pinkie's petty drama. Deciding to retreat, you got to your feet.

"Where are you going, Nakao?" Naruto asked with a mouthful of fish, looking up at you. Sakura looked to you suspiciously.

"I have to go to the bathroom," you lied.

Turning on your heel, you walked off in the opposite direction. You didn't exactly know where you were going, but you didn't care. As long as you knew how to get back to your team, everything was fine. You pushed your way through bushes and stepped over overgrown weeds, deep in thought.

You thought of Orochimaru. He had known you, known who your brother was. Why? Who was this man and why was this the first time you had ever met him?

_"Who the hell are you!?" your voice cracked. "How do you know who I am!?"_

_"Why don't you ask Keitaro?" Orochimaru's eyes glittered in amusement._

Your stomach churned uneasily. Was Keitaro wrapped in all of this? Whatever _this_ was. No. Whatever was going on, it was sinister. You refused to believe your brother would be involved in anything like that. You knew your brother; he was a good person. But then again…

_"Itachi-san, Itachi-san! Will you play hide and seek with me and Sasuke!?" you asked eagerly, violet-colored eyes shining brightly._

_Itachi smiled softly. "Won't Keitaro-kun play with you guys?"_

_"He's on a mission," you pouted beside Sasuke._

_Itachi let out a soft chuckle. "Okay."_

Maybe no one could know _everything _about a person. But it was still hard for you to believe Keitaro would be involved in something that this evil; especially if his little sister would get hurt in the process. Right?

"Hello, Nakao."

You froze in your tracks. Slowly, you glanced up to a tree several feet away from you. Sitting casually with his back rested against the tree trunks and legs crossed at the ankles along the tree branch, sat Natsuo. You were stunned, like a deer in the headlights, for a long moment until you finally regained composure.

"What the hell do you want!?" you yelled, hands clenched into fists at your sides. You were frustrated.

"Nothing, just checking in," Natsuo said simply, examining his fingernails.

"Just leave me alone!"

"Oh, I'm afraid that's something I can't do," Natsuo smirked, jumping to the ground. You took a step back as he neared.

"And why not?" you gritted your teeth together.

"Well you see, as much as I don't understand it; you're important. But not that I see those idiot kids didn't kill you, I'll be going," he turned his back on you, seemingly ready to leave, when up spoke up.

"Important to who; Orochimaru?"

Natsuo stopped abruptly, turning to face you again. His eyes narrowed. As he did so, a patch of sunlight slid through the tree branches above, hitting your clearing between you and Natsuo. As it did so, you noticed something on Natsuo's face that you hadn't before. There was a large scar beginning at the corner of his left eye and ran vertically down to his chin. It was a large scar, like someone had slashed him with a blade.

Natsuo's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about him?"

Tearing your attention from the scar, you refocused. "Why did those Sound ninjas attack us?"

Natsuo remained silent and still. You continued.

"You're working for Orochimaru, aren't you? But you don't know why those ninjas were attacking us, do you? Orochimaru didn't let you in on that part of the plan? Did you know he visited in person?"

You saw something dangerous flash in Natsuo's eyes.

"Why the hell does he want me?" you demanded.

Natsuo scoffed, his temper beginning to show. "What makes you think he would want someone like you?"

You kept your gaze steady. You felt nervous around Natsuo; intimidated as he stood several inches taller than you. You pushed confidence into your voice. "Because he tried to leave that mark on me."

You watched as slowly Natsuo's eyes began to darken. It was like watching storm clouds roll in, eventually blotting out the sky. When he spoke, it was in an angry whisper. "He tried to leave the curse mark on you?"

'Curse mark? Is that what it's called? Seems fitting.'

You only continued to stare Natsuo in the eyes. You could see nerves in his face twitching. His cheeks slowly flushed red. "Why would he leave a curse mark on _you_!? What's so special about you!?"

Angrily, Natsuo began handsigns; you were too slow to react. Before you knew it, pressure was swirling around you. Your kekki genki wasn't activated, so you couldn't be sure, but you were positive Natsuo was surrounding you with wind. You recognized the feeling of this special power. It constricted around your form, wrapping you like a boa constrictor.

You felt your bones straining against the power and it was getting hard to breathe. Your hands were pinned to your sides, keeping them from forming handsigns and activating your kekki genki, or accessing any jutsu. You attempted to squirm-struggle- but it was no use.

Several kunai whipped past you, straight for Natsuo. His eyes narrowed, waiting for them to hit his face, like a game of chicken. Just before they hit, wind rushed in front of his face like a shield. The kunais were harmlessly pushed backwards. Before they got far, the tags that had been attached to the kunai handles exploded. The small flames hit the win barrier and flared to life. The flames must have hit his face, or pretty darn close, for he was too distracted to keep his jutsu activated. Or perhaps that had been the point so that the flames died immediately.

You dropped to the ground as the jutsu ended, coughing and trying to regain your breath. You glanced up, finding Natsuo glaring at something behind you. Footsteps made a short distance to you and a hand wrapped around your upper right arm. You were hefted to your feet.

You were surprised to find Sasuke standing beside you. He was not looking at you but was, instead, glaring at Natsuo in hatred. Natsuo returned the glare, but his eyes were alit with bloodlust as well as hatred.

"Sas-"

"Get the hell out of here," Sasuke demanded of Natsuo, cutting you off.

"You're too cocky, boy," Natsuo glared. You were afraid of this Natsuo; frightened because he could kill you-and wanted to. He knew your ace jutsu- all the secrets.

Sasuke continued to stare down Natsuo. Although Natsuo was several inches taller and about three years older, Sasuke was not intimidated. You watched Natsuo's eyes flicker to Sasuke's neck. The curse mark.

Finally, Natsuo's eyes returned to you. He sneered. "You're lucky Orochimaru-sama has plans for you, Nakao."

A gust of wind came to life around him. As the wind swirled around, his body vanished. The last thing you saw of Natsuo was his eyes. Those eyes…

It was silent between you and Sasuke for a long moment. You were so deep in thought that you had forgotten to even look at Sasuke. When you did, he was already watching you.

"You're an idiot."

Your eye twitched. "Yes, I'm fine; thank you for asking."

"Do you have any idea what the hell you're doing? He could have killed you!" Sasuke was yelling, angrily.

Flabbergasted at first, you took a step back in surprise. It took you a full minute to calculate Sasuke's words, before you grew defensive. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sasuke glared. "I _saw _you with him before the exam started; don't think I'm stupid."

You were lost for a moment, until your mind conjured up the memory.

_Natsuo caught you completely by surprise. He bent down, pushing his lips against yours._

So many responses ran through your head; but your brain couldn't pick out which one it wanted to voice. Your mouth only continued opening and closing. How could Sasuke honestly think you were just snogging people randomly!? And even if you did, how was that any of _his _business?

You glared, throwing your arms into the air. "What do _you _care!?"

Sasuke only glared back. His lips were pressed firmly together and he physically appeared to trying to surpress his anger. What the hell was he angry for in the first place?

"Whatever," Sasuke finally said, turning on his heel. "Let's go."

You huffed angrily but had no choice but to follow Sasuke. The two of you traveled along silently, headed back to camp. Turns out you had walked further than you thought you had. Oddly enough, Sasuke had come this whole way to find you since you knew the river was not even close to you. Perhaps Sasuke had sensed Natsuo's chakra and was hoping to take a scroll from him.

'I wonder if Natsuo and his team have both scrolls…'

Finally, you and Sasuke could see your camp in the distance. Sakura and Naruto were still there…along with another person. Your eyes narrowed before you elbowed Sasuke in the arm. "Do you see that?"

Sasuke had been watching the ground and glanced up when you had elbowed him. He followed your line of vision and gasped. He immediately took off running, you at his heels.

* * *

"You guys are hopeless," Sasuke said.

The two of you were standing in front of a sitting Naruto and Sakura, with your arms crossed over your chests. Sakura and Naruto both looked down, ashamed.

"I expected this from Sakura, but _you _Naruto?" you raised an eyebrow. Sakura shot you a lethal glare.

Apparently Dumb and Dumber had attempted to open your Earth scroll while you and Sasuke had been away. Why they thought that was a good idea? That was a crazy thought you couldn't understand; just like the thought that had popped into Sakura's mind that she should become a kunoichi.

The new arrival that had alerted you and Sasuke had apparently stopped the two morons from opening the scrolls. He was dressed in purple with silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and glasses perched on his nose. He spoke to you now. "You guys are lucky I got here in time. I've seen what happens to people when they open the scrolls. There's a sleep-inducing inscription on the inside of the scroll that will knock you out until the end of the exam."

"You're Kabuto, right?" Sasuke asked from next to you, head turned towards Kabuto. "What are you doing here alone?"

"Look, it's not like I'm after your scroll or anything," Kabuto reassured, turning towards Sasuke.

"Yeah, I suppose. If you had really wanted it you could have just taken it from these two idiots," you shot them a glare. If they glared back, you didn't know because you turned back to Kabuto. "So are you after the Heaven scroll too?"

"No, we already obtained both scrolls," Kabuto flashed the cream and black-colored scrolls. He put them back away after a minute into the pouch behind him. "I was on my way back to the tower to meet up with my teammates before I bumped into you guys. I'm actually going to go now."

"Wait!" Sasuke called out. Kabuto, who had been starting to walk away, glanced back over his shoulder. "Fight me."

"A fight?" Kabuto smirked.

"But Sasuke..." Sakura started uneasily.

"You idiot! Kabuto saved our butts and you want to fight him!" Naruto hollared.

You nervously shuffled on your feet. You understood why he was doing it, but still. "Yeah, Sasuke…that's kind of a dick move."

"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke demanded, not even glancing towards your blonde teammate. He kept his eyes trained on Kabuto the whole time. Naruto glared but quieted down.

Kabuto turned fully to face Sasuke. There appeared to be a hint of humor in his voice. "Are you serious?"

"Gomen but we don't have time," Sasuke said.

"You dumbass!" Naruto started again.

"Um...Sasuke, Kabuto did save us. I don't thinking fighting Kabuto is the best way to thank him or anything..." Sakura added quietly.

"Shut up," Sasuke commanded, still not glancing away from Kabuto. "It's our only way to survive."

Kabuto smirked. "That's a lie."

"A lie?" Naruto echoed, looking to Kabuto.

"His heart isn't fully in this."

Sasuke took a step back. "What?"

Kabuto smirked again. "If you truly wanted to attack me just to survive, you wouldn't have warned me. You would have just attacked me from behind, like a real ninja would do."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Wow...that's deep."

"Sasuke, I think you just got dissed," you scratched your head.

"You're honorable for doing so, however," Kabuto continued. "And for that, I will show you the proper path to take."

You turned to Kabuto, a bit of surprise in your voice. "Proper path?"

Kabuto turned his back again to lead your group. "But first, put out that fire. It might have attracted enemies by now."

* * *

"Are you sure there are any enemies left?" Sakura asked as your group jumped quickly from tree to tree.

"I'm positive," Kabuto said from the front; he was leading your team. "And do you know the best way to a fight in an open forest such as this?"

"Um, no?" you waited for Kabuto to continue.

"With only a day left, most examinees will be at the center of the forest, the tower, hoping for a fight," Kabuto explained.

"So we're bound to run into someone there with the scroll we need," Sakura assumed.

"Well that's a part of it," Kabuto said, glancing back at Sakura.

"We can't be the only ones thinking of this; there's probably a bunch of teams waiting for a team with the scroll they need…like us," you glanced to the person nearest to you, which was Sasuke on your left. Naruto and Sakura were traveling behind you.

"Yeah but there's still another part," Kabuto sounded amused. You weren't.

"For god's sake," you sighed. "What's the last part?"

"We have to think about the "collectors" in the exam," Kabuto said.

"Collectors?" you echoed.

"Collectors are teams that wait outside the tower for the soul purpose of gaining scrolls they already have. Then they can use these extra scrolls for bargaining chips should they run into other opponents or they can destroy the extra scrolls so that less teams can pass."

"Fantastic," you muttered under your breath.

"I see," Sasuke suddenly spoke up. "That's why you brought us with you. You didn't want to travel alone."

Kabuto glanced back, a small smirk on his face. "That's right. I'm scared shitless."

* * *

Night was beginning to fall now. Luckily for your team, the moon was full tonight and some of its light slid through the tree canopies. Your team stopped, standing side-by-side on the ground; you had been traveling all day. Looking into the distance, you could make out the outline of the tall tower; that's why you had decided to begin walking.

"There it is..." Sakura murmured.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of your neck shot up. Your senses buzzed; there was a presence behind you. You drew a kunai in seconds and whirled around, throwing the kunai straight towards the possible enemy.

With a thud, your kunai pierced through a head and stuck into the bark of the tree. As you and your team looked to see what you had struck, you found that it was not an enemy. Well, it wasn't a _human _enemy. You had killed a giant centipede. It was as thick as the tree trunk itself and at least eight feet long. Its legs, as thick as your own arms, twitched randomly.

"A centipede," you commented. As one of the legs twitched, you shuddered and glanced away. But at least it was a bug you had had to kill and not a human.

"That thing's huge!" Sakura quacked, staring at the bug in fear.

You rolled your eyes at Sakura. Yeah it was disgusting, but so was her face and you had to deal with that every day. You glanced back to Kabuto. "Come on, let's keep moving."

Kabuto nodded and your group set off again. You traveled for what seemed like hours. You were feeling tired and your feet were beginning to ache. Sakura suddenly dropped to her knees as they gave out. She sat on them on the ground, throwing her head back, aggravated. "How long have we walked? The tower doesn't seem to be getting any closer!"

For once, you had to agree with Sakura. As you stared at the outline of the tower, it didn't appear to be any closer. A depressing answer came to mind. "Maybe that's because…"

"We haven't gotten any closer," Kabuto finished for you. "We've already stumbled into somebody's trap. See..."

Everyone's gaze followed Kabuto's pointing finger. It was directed to a tree trunk which was covered by a giant, dead centipede.

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed.

"So it was an illusionary technique the whole time..." Sasuke realized; frustration obvious in his voice.

"So it seems..." Kabuto confirmed.

"We've been walking in circles this whole time!" you growled, aggravated. You shot a glare over at Sakura. Wasn't she the one who was supposed to be on top of this genjutsu crap?

"They made us walk in circles and waited for us to get tired. Then they'll attack..." Kabuto muttered, nervously glancing around himself. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face.

Laughter rang out in the clearing. "Welcome."

Your body tensed. Sakura shot to her feet and your group immediately huddled together, your backs together, standing in a circle. Before your eyes, ninjas dressed in black began to appear all around the clearing, filling it and surrounding your group.

"Fifty against five? Sounds like a fair fight," you muttered to yourself.

"There's too many of them," Kabuto agreed, his eyes scanning the ninjas carefully. "They all seem to be replications..."

"Replications…" you muttered. Pulling out a kunai, you threw it at one of the ninjas. It passed through the ninja, tearing its arm off in the process.

From behind you, you could hear Sakura take in a breath of excitement. That didn't last long however. Before your very eyes, the arm began to regrow from the rest of the body. Your eyes widened.

"What!?" Naruto stepped back in surprise before he ran forward, punching one of the ninja, but his fist went straight through, as though traveling through ink. His eyes widened as he fell to the ground and the missing half of the ninja's body repaired itself.

"What's going on!?" Naruto scowled, hopping to his feet.

"Naruto! Behind you!" you yelled as the ninja Naruto had just attacked, raised a kunai.

Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan and threw three kunai at the ninja, stopping its attack. Slowly, the ninja turned to look at Sasuke and raised a double sided kunai at him. You looked to Sasuke but he wasn't moving. Instead, Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Sasuke?" you questioned. You glanced back to the ninja as it tossed its kunai. Sasuke still wasn't moving. Your eyes widened. "Sasuke!"

You ran into your teammate, shoving him to the ground with your shoulder. The kunai directed at Sasuke hit your arm. Luckily, it managed to hit right where your headband was tied and it bounced off of the metal plate, falling to the ground. You quickly retrieved it, holding it in your hands. It was solid-real.

You glanced down to Sasuke. He was still on the ground, his eyes wide and his body shaking. His Sharingan was still activated. You grew concerned. Reaching down, you grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him into a sitting position. You squatted in front of him, scanning his face. "Are you okay?"

Before Sasuke could answer, more ninja began to swarm around your team. You looked up, biting at your lip. You gripped the kunai in your hand. It was real, so these couldn't be replications. At least, not normal replications.

"They're throwing real weapons, doesn't that mean these replications have real flesh?" Naruto asked, taking out a kunai and holding it in front of him.

"Shadow replications should disappear when hit," Sakura agreed, looking to Kabuto. "Nakao's and Naruto's attacks went straight through them."

The ninjas took a step closer. Naruto raised his kunai but Sasuke interrupted. "Stop! They're just illusions."

You looked down to Sasuke. His Sharingan was still activated and sweat was running down the side of his face. You chewed on your bottom lip.

"Sasuke's right," Kabuto said seriously. "The enemy is most likely hiding somewhere. They're attacking us from far away, but controlling the movements of the illusions. They're making it seem like the illusion ninja are attacking."

"Then I'll find these idiots throwing knives at us, and beat them to a bloody pulp!" Naruto announced.

"You won't be able to find the ninja's exact location," Kabuto said. "The real enemy won't come out until we can't move any longer. We can only dodge the attacks for now."

"Fine then!" Naruto put his fingers together in a handsign. "Two can play at this!"

"Naruto, don't! It'll just waste your chakra. There's no point in attacking," Kabuto warned.

"If we get rid of all the illusions, the enemy can't attack during the time they return to normal," Naruto objected. "Shadow Replication!"

In a poof of smoke, dozens of Narutos stood in a line. The replications ran at the illusions, kicking and/or punching at them. They splattered on the ground only to reform good as new. Yet, the Naruto clones kept attacking. You stood next to Sasuke, biting your bottom lip.

"Sasuke...What should we do?" Sakura asked. She was standing behind you and Sasuke.

"That bakka..." he glanced to you. "We have to fight too."

"But..." Sakura started.

You ran a hand through your bangs. "Sasuke's right. The four of us are one, remember?"

You smirked over at Sakura, who only looked surprised. You grabbed your daggers, spinning them around once and each hand before rushing into the crowd of Naruto clones and enemy replications. Sasuke got to his feet, taking out a kunai and followed you. Kabuto and Sakura glanced at one another, then followed.

You all fought relentlessly, slashing through the ninjas for what seemed like hours. The sun was starting to rise as Kabuto was thrown against a tree. Sakura fell to her knees, using her arms as support and Sasuke's legs shook until they couldn't keep him up anymore. He too, fell to his knees. You dodged another kunai but just didn't have the focus anymore. You lost your balance, falling to the ground on your side.

A Naruto clone hit the ground in front of you and disappeared in a small cloud of white smoke. The five of you lay or sat, exhausted, panting. Your hair stuck to the sides of your face and sweat rolled down your skin. Finally, the illusions broke apart, splattering to the ground like ink, disappearing. In their place stood three ninja dressed in yellow suits.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognized one of the ninja as the first fight from in the forest. The ninja that had come alone and had first tried to pretend to be Naruto. The ninja stared at Sasuke. "You're the one who drove a kunai through my stomach. I  
can finally get my revenge."

"Like a mouse in a trap..." came Sasuke's voice, but not from his body.

"It worked Naruto," came your voice.

The ninjas stared in utter confusion. "Wh-what?"

The ninjas whirled around. Your team stood behind them, smirking. In front of them, your bodies disappeared, leaving behind all Naruto clones.

"What!? How did they-when!?" the leader of the Grass team exasperated.

Naruto smirked. "I used the shadow replication to just set up this trick so I could pretend to be everyone from my team."

As the original Naruto got to his feet, his clones disappeared. Sasuke stood up from beside you, Sharingan activated, and smirked. "Once Naruto transformed into us, the rest of us were able to hide."

Naruto went to run forward but ended up falling to his knees.

"Naruto!" you called his name, bolting to your feet.

"Naruto, you've used up too much chakra, I'll do the rest," Sasuke said.

Naruto hopped to his feet and, wordlessly, ran forward, punching one ninja in the side of his head with such force he rammed into the other two ninja and they all fell in a pile on the ground like dominos. Naruto smirked. "I'm not gunna let you take all the good parts after I did the hard stuff."

You watched Naruto in slight awe. He had maintained the Shadow Replication jutsu this whole time and still had this kind of energy? This definitely wasn't the same kid from the academy.

Sakura stared. "Wow, Naruto..."

The enemy ninja got to their feet, fingers whipping out hand signs. "Pretty good but...Ninpou, Obara Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, dozens of the team appeared. You all glanced around.

"Shadow replications?" Sakura asked.

"No, just normal ones," Kabuto answered.

"Well, if they're just replications, there's only one real one," Naruto said, breathing heavily. "I'll just beat up everyone until I find the real one."

"That'll take too much energy!" Sasuke warned.

"Stop trying to interfere!" Naruto argued. Ignoring Sasuke's warning, he took off, sprinting at the ninja.

"Naruto! It's impossible!" Sakura yelled after him; but he didn't listen.

"Geeze..." Kabuto muttered and quickly followed Naruto into battle.

You watched hopelessly as Naruto battled, getting nowhere. You could see Kabuto trying to stop Naruto, but it wasn't working. Your eyes were scanning the ninja, trying to figure out the attack, when you heard a cry of pain from your right.

Your head whipped over to find Sasuke on his knees, clutching at his neck. You gasped and dropped to your knees. You noticed that his Sharingan was still activated. Sweat was forming at his hairline. You whispered, urgently. "Sasuke…"

"Sasuke!" Sakura worried vocally, also dropping down beside Sasuke, on his other side.

"Na-Nakao…" it seemed to take effort for Sasuke to speak and glanced over at you. You watched him with worried eyes. "The real ninja…they're in…the ground."

Your eyes hardened and you hopped to your feet. You called out. "Naruto! They're in the ground!"

The Naruto clones continued fighting the replications; and you couldn't figure out which Naruto was the real Naruto. As you watched, suddenly, the clones disappeared instantly. Milliseconds later, three ninja, the real ninja, were pulled from the dirt ground and thrown onto the earth. They landed in a pile. Naruto made sure they were each knocked out with a punch to the head.

"That was great Naruto!" Sakura called, getting to her feet and smiling.

Sakura moved over to Kabuto and Naruto, helping them search the ninjas for their scroll, praying it would be the Heaven scroll. You kneeled back down by Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke glanced over at you. He seemed about to respond before a shadow loomed over the two of you. Day was just beginning to break, spreading sunlight through the clearing. You and Sasuke looked up to see Kabuto standing over you. His eyes were on Sasuke's neck. "Hey, how did you get that? It looks like a big bruise..."

You glanced over as Sasuke covered the curse mark with his right hand. He stared up at Kabuto. "It's nothing."

"Found it!" Naruto announced, drawing your attention. You all looked over to see Naruto standing and triumphantly holding up a Heaven scroll.

You sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Thank god."

* * *

Your team, plus Kabuto, finally made it to the tower. Doors were placed all around the rotund building. The door you were currently standing outside of was painted red. You were standing with Sasuke leaning against your body, his arm draped over your shoulders. Since you had been closet to his height, you had helped Sasuke walk to the tower. The ordeal earlier seemed to have affected him.

The sound of footsteps drew your attention to the forestry behind you. Two figures emerged, both dressed in identical purple suits like Kabuto's. The one wearing black sunglasses, spoke up. "You're late, Kabuto..."" one spoke, walking up behind is teammate.

"I was caught up in some trouble," Kabuto explained, walking over to his teammates.

"Hey Kabuto," Kabuto looked back to Naruto. "Thanks for helping us. Thanks to you, we have two scrolls."

"No, it's because of your great skills," Kabuto told Naruto.

Kabuto waved, smiling, before turning his back on you and wandering off to find another door. Your team turned to face the one you were in front of. Naruto opened the door, allowing Sakura inside and then you and Sasuke. He entered after the three of you, closing the door behind him.

"No one's here..." you muttered as your team entered a large, empty room. Your footsteps echoed off of the walls and tiled flooring. Above your heads were two bridges with railings that lead to other rooms. In front of you was a large scroll with words written on it.

"I'm okay now, Nakao."

You glanced to Sasuke. Slowly, you nodded and let go of Sasuke's wrist and he took a step away from you. You suddenly felt colder and bare. What an odd feeling. Not glancing at you, he walked forward, his eyes set on the large tapestry-like scroll. You followed, standing beside him.

"What are we supposed to do?" Naruto asked, confused.

You began to read the scroll. "If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you possess both Heaven and Earth, dangerous paths turn into safe paths. This is the secret of...it shall lead you on your way."

"What does that all mean?" Naruto asked, looking past Sakura to you.

"After 'secret of', it looks like it's missing a word or two..." you said, pointing to the blank space.

"It's probably referring to the scrolls," Sakura said. "Maybe if we open them..."

Sakura took the Heaven scroll from Naruto and he held the Earth one. They looked at each other and slowly went to open them. Naruto gulped as he slowly opened a corner.

You rolled your eyes. "Just open the scrolls!"

The two opened the scrolls and the four of you peered down at them. Thick, black markings were scroll inside. Sasuke's eyes widened. "They're summoning scrolls! Naruto, Sakura, drop them!"

Your teammates obliged and they threw the scrolls away from you. The scrolls disappeared in a cloud of smoke that slowly grew until it clouded the entire area around you. Your team watched carefully as the smoke began to clear. A figure appeared. Sasuke blinked. "You're..."

"Hello, long time no see."

Standing before you was Iruka-sensei. He was smiling, hands on his hips.

"Looks like the four of you went through a lot of trouble," Iruka smiled, glancing at your appearances.

"Wait, why did you appear Iruka-sensei?" Naruto questioned.

"We chuunins are to welcome the examinees at the end of the second exam," Iruka explained. "I was given the duty to pass the four of you a message by chance."

"A message?" Sakura echoed.

Iruka dug into his pocket, bringing out a small pocket-watch. He smiled. "You made it just in time. Everyone, congratulations on passing the second exam."

Your team glanced to one another, making sure you had heard right. Iruka smiled. "I would treat you to some ramen but-"

"Yeah!" Naruto ran at Iruka, tackling him to the ground in a hug.

Iruka's eye twitched slightly. "Hey, Naruto! Let me finish!"

"Yes! Ramen! Ramen!" Naruto cheered, jumping up in down.

You, Sasuke and Sakura slumped to the ground. You let out a deep sigh. 'How does he have so much energy?'

"Yeah! Ramen! Ramen!"

"Shut up!" Sakura scolded.

"Geez...you're still as restless as before," Iruka said, sounding amused.

"If we looked at the scrolls during the exam, what exactly were you planning to do?" Sasuke questioned from next to you.

Iruka picked up the scrolls you had thrown. "Sasuke, you're as sharp as ever. As you guessed, this exam tests your mission completion ability. So, if you broke the rules and opened a scroll, we were ordered to knock out the examinees until the end of the second exam."

You sent a knowing glare at Naruto and Sakura who quickly looked away sheepishly. Sasuke smirked and shook his head.

"Oh hey, sensei," Sakura looked to Iruka-sensei, pointing to the large scroll. "What does that text on the wall mean?"

"Who cares!? We passed!" Naruto exclaimed, practically shouting into Sakura's face.

"Actually, my other mission is to explain to you what this means..." Iruka-sensei said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Your eye twitched. "You almost forgot, didn't you?"

"N-no!"

You sweatdropped. Iruka coughed. "A-Anyway, this is the principal Hokage-sama wrote that you should keep in mind as Chuunin."

"Principal...?" Naruto echoed.

"Yes, the 'Heaven' in this text points to the head of a person. 'Earth' points to the body. If you don't possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. For example, Naruto's weak point is his brain, he should study and prepare for his missions."

Sakura giggled as Naruto crossed his arms with a frown.

Iruka looked to Sakura. "And if you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. For example, Sakura's weakness lies in strength, she should train herself every day."

Sakura spit out her tongue and rubbed her neck sheepishly.

"And if you have both Heaven and Earth," Iruka glanced to you and Sasuke. "Any dangerous missions will become safe."

"What about the missing word?" Sakura asked.

"It's actually missing a letter, a letter symbolizing a Chuunin," Iruka held up a scroll. "The letter that was in here going into that scroll. The survival mission you took part in these past five days tested the basic abilities of the examinees as a Chuunin, and you guys completed it. A Chuunin is a commander-class. He has a duty to lead a team. Never forget the Chuunin principal and go on to the next step."

Smiling, Iruka-sensei stepped aside, revealing a wooden door.

* * *

The door had lead you to a completely different room. The floor was tiled and two, large, stone statues sat on each end of the room. A huge, electronic scoreboard was resting on the far wall. A balcony ran along the length of the walls with a staircase on each end.

Every team that had passed the second exam stood in vertical lines next to the other lines of teams. Your team was in between Kiba's team and Neji's team. Kiba had smiled when he caught your eye. You offered a small smile back.

In your line, you stood behind Sasuke with only Sakura behind you. Naruto stood at the front. You glanced to the other teams to see who else had passed. Ino's team had passed, as did Gaara's, Kabuto's, the Sound team and…your heart sunk…Natsuo's team.

Natsuo glanced over, catching your eye. He was standing on the other side of Neji's team. His eyes gleamed. You quickly glanced away and forwards, where jounins and ranking officials were gathered, standing in a straight line. The Hokage stepped forward and began to speak. "First off, I would like to congratulate you all on passing the second exam."

"All the rookies from Konoha are here..." Sakura realized, glancing about herself.

"We will now have an explanation from Hokage-sama about the third exam," Anko announced from beside him. "Before the third exam begins, there's one thing I want all of you to know. It is about the true purpose of this exam."

"True purpose...?" you muttered from behind Sasuke.

"Why we do an exam with allied nations; to maintain good relations with the allied nations and heighten the level of the ninja. Do not let those reasons deceive you. This exam is the epitome of a war between the allied nations," Hokage-sama explained, letting out a puff of smoke from his ever-present pipe.

"What do you mean?" Temari asked, aloud.

"If we went back through history, the allied nations right now were neighboring countries that fought each other repeatedly. To avoid wasting military power, those countries decide to choose a place to fight. That was the beginning of the Chuunin Selection Exam."

"Why do we have to do that?" Naruto asked. "We're not doing this to select Chuunin?"

"Yes, this exam does examine those who are worthy of the Chuunin title, but on the other hand, it's also a place where ninja fight and carry their country's dignity," the Hokage explained.

"Country's dignity?" Sakura echoed.

"In the third exam, feudal lords and famous people from various countries who may be potential clients are invited here as guests and feudal lords from countries with hidden villages and ninja leaders will see your battles. IF there is a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs. Weak countries will have a decline in jobs."

"So why do we have to fight with the risk of losing our lives?" Kiba asked from next to Naruto. You glanced over to your friend. Typical Kiba question.

"A country's power is the village's power. A village's power is the ninja's power. And a ninja's true power is only born in life-or-death battle. This exam is also a place to show off the ninja power of one's country. Since this is an exam where you fight with your life, it has meaning. You fight with the dream of becoming a Chuunin."

"But why do you say it's to promote good relations?" Lee's female teammate asked.

You frowned, crossing your arms over your chest. You were easily bored and, right now, you were bored. You were sick of the questions, sick of the reasons. Right now, you wanted to fight and be done with this stupid exam. It hadn't been what you thought it would be. You glanced over at Natsuo.

"You're not supposed to get confused with that," the Hokage said. "The custom of showing one's life and fighting to maintain balance; that is the good relation in the world of ninja. This is a life-or-death battle for your dream and village's dignity."

"I don't care..." Gaara suddenly said. "Just tell us the details of this life-or-death exam."

'Thank god _somebody _said it!'

"Then I will now begin the explanation of the third exam," the Hokage announced.

Suddenly, a man in a jounin vest appeared in front of the Hokage. Where he had come from, you weren't sure. Above maybe? "Excuse me, Hokage-sama, I, Gekkou Hayate, the judge, will explain."

"Very well then," the Hokage allowed, taking a step back.

Hayate turned to look at all of you. "Everyone, before I start the exam..." There was a pause as Hayate brought his hand to his mouth in a coughing fit. After a moment, he continued. "There has to be some preliminary matches to who gets to advance in the main battles of the third exam."

"Preliminary matches?" Sakura echoed.

"What do you mean preliminary matches!? What for!?" Shikamaru questioned, frustrated.

"I don't understand, why can't we just start the third exam with the remaining examinees?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe the first and second exam were too easy, I don't know, but there are too many examinees left. According to the Chuunin regulations, we must decrease the number of participants for the third exam."

Sakura gasped lightly. "Oh no..."

"As previously mentioned by Hokage-sama, there are many guests for the third exam, so we can't have a lot of matches," Hayate explained.

You watched Hayate. 'Preliminary matches? Right now?'

Hayate had a coughing fit again, making your eye twitch slightly. He then continued. "We are limited on time as well. So those who aren't feeling well..." he went into another coughing fit.

"If you're tired or anything, drop out because the matches will start immediately," Hayate announced.

"Immediately!?" Kiba exclaimed.

"But we just went through the second exam..." Ino exasperated disbelievingly.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru complained.

You chewed on your bottom lip. Immediately? You glanced around. Most of the ninja here didn't look as scraped up as your team; but you were sure they were probably just as exhausted. Somehow, this didn't seem fair. Then again, the life of a ninja wasn't fair. But who would drop out now after they had gone this far?

"Well, I'm outta here..."

Everyone's eye widened. You looked past Neji's and Natsuo's team to Kabuto.

'I guess him...'

"K-Kabuto...?" Naruto's mouth opened wide.

The proctor coughed. "You're Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha? Okay, you can go."

You watched Kabuto, eyebrows crinkled together. Why? Why would he go through all of that, just to quit? This would explain why he had taken the exam seven times.

The proctor continued to speak. "Oh, so you know, from here on you no longer fight as teams, but individuals. So, if you really don't feel up to it, no one is relying on you. Will anyone else drop out?"

"Kabuto! What are you doing!?" Naruto suddenly exclaimed as Kabuto moved towards the doors behind you.

Kabuto looked over to your blonde teammate. "Naruto, gomen but those guys we fought really took it out of me and ever since the first exam with the sound team, my left ear is completely messed up. They say this could be a fight to the death and honestly, I'm really not up to that."

Your team watched in silence and Naruto sighed. Kabuto smiled ever so slightly and with a wave, began to walk away. You were watching Kabuto, lost in your own thoughts, when you heard a gasp of pain from in front of you.

You turned back around, find Sasuke's upper body slightly hunched forwards. He was shaking gently and his hand was grasping at his neck.

"Sasuke?" you whispered, worried. You bit down on your bottom lip.

"So..." Hayate coughed lightly. "There will be no more withdraws?"

Sasuke let out another gasp of pain and Sakura, who must have noticed as well, quickly reacted. "Sasuke, you should quit too!"

You and Naruto looked to Sakura.

"Ever since Orochimaru attacked you, you've been in pain! And it keeps getting worse! Don't think I can't see it!" Sakura said, tears starting to well in her eyes. "Please, withdraw!"

"No," Sasuke said simply, looking at Sakura. His hand still covered his curse mark.

"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered again. "Please, withdraw..."

"..."

"Sasuke!"

"Just be quiet, Sakura," you suddenly hissed, turning to her completely.

She hiccupped, glaring at you. "Stay out of this, Nakao."

"Stay out of _what_? You're the one up in Sasuke's business," you replied.

"Just because you don't care about him, Nakao-!"

You suddenly lashed out, grabbing Sakura by the collar of her shirt. You glared, eyes boring into hers. You were angry-outraged. You were sick of her. Sick of her thinking she knew everything about Sasuke-that she knew anything at all. She knew nothing! And she knew nothing of what Sasuke meant to you…had meant to you. Sakura was completely caught by surprise. Her eyes widened in not only surprise, but fear and her tears stopped.

Your voice was so low you doubted anyone but your team could hear you. You whispered harshly in her face, your nose nearly touching hers. "Do _not _tell who or what I care about! You skip around here claiming you love Sasuke but what do you know about him, huh, Sakura? Did you know that his favorite color is blue? That his favorite food is rice balls? And that he used to find abandoned structures in the woods?"

Sakura was dead silent, except for her shallow breathing. Her eyes were wide, shaking.

"That's what I thought," you almost spat.

Suddenly, you were yanked away from Sakura. Your hands were pulled free and she almost stumbled backwards. It was Naruto who had grabbed you around the waist and dragged you to the front of the line, keeping him and Sasuke between you and Sakura. You tried to glance back at Sakura, but Sasuke was staring at you. Instead, you turned your gaze forward once more, chest heaving up in down.

From around you, several pairs of eyes were on your team. You hadn't been thinking about the commotion you'd cause. But Hayate didn't seem to have noticed and he carried on, pulling everyone's attention back to him.

"Okay, well then, we will now begin the preliminaries which will consist of individual combat matches," Hayate began to explain. You tried to force your mind to focus, to forget your anger. "Seeing as there are twenty-three candidates remaining, there will be a total of ten fights. Those who pass this will go on to the third exam. These battles permit any means of battle. The match will end when one ninja is dead, unconscious or admits defeat. If you value your life, make sure to give in if you find your opponent is over-powering you. Seeing as though we don't want a lot of bloodshed here, I will stop the match if I see the clear winner of the match."

Hayate turned around, indicating the large electronic board you had noticed earlier. "This is an electronic score board. At the beginning of a match, two names will randomly appear on the screen and those two will be opponents. We will begin now and the first two opponents will be shown."

A jumble of yellow lettering scrambled across the screen. You could practically feel the tension and apprehension in the air. Finally, two names in bold, yellow lettering lit up the scoreboard.

**Uchiha Sasuke VS Akado Yoroi**


	20. Emotional Turmoil

You felt your heart constrict as you read the names on the board. No. No; why Sasuke? Why did he have to be the first one? Glancing over Naruto's shoulders, you found that Sasuke was smirking. This only deepened your concern.

"Will the individuals whose names are listed on the board come forward now?" Hayate called out.

Sasuke slithered out from behind Naruto, moving towards the middle of the arena floor. As he walked past you, he glanced over at you. Your eyes locked and you refused to look away until he did. Your fingers twitched at your side as your mind chanted at you to grab Sasuke's hand; make him understand that he needed to be careful, and withdraw before he killed himself, but you didn't. Instead, you watched Sasuke tear his eyes away from yours and walk over to Hayate.

"Akado Yoroi, Uchiha Sasuke, you two have been selected to compete in the first match. Any objections?" Hayate asked as he stood in between Sasuke and Yoroi, who faced each other.

"I'm good..." Sasuke smirked, his gaze intent on his opponent.

"None here," Yoroi agreed. He was one of Kabuto's teammates.

You watched Sasuke nervously, chewing on your bottom lip. You couldn't believe you were letting him go through with this. Then again, he was an Uchiha; you really didn't have a choice. You tried to telepathically convey that he needed to win this; but you didn't think it was working.

"It's time for the first match to commence. Everyone other than the two opponents should move to the upper gallery now," Hayate instructed, pointing to the balcony that hung all the way around the arena walls. The genin began to disperse, half of them head towards the staircase on the left side of the room, the other half to the staircase on the right. Just as you were about to move, you noticed Kakashi-sensei step out onto the arena floor.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out, waving an arm high in the air.

Kakashi ignored him, however, and walked up to Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei said something that made Sasuke's face register surprise before he frowned. You saw Sasuke move a hand to the curse mark on his neck.

"Nakao!"

You blinked, shaking your head to clear your focus, and looked beside you. Sakura and Naruto had abandoned you and were climbing the left-side staircase. Kiba had moved over to you and was now taking your hand.

"Come on, Nakao, let's go," he said, tugging your hand.

You glanced back to Sasuke worriedly, only to find him watching you. Your face quickly flushed and you looked away, towards Kiba, trying not to look concerned. You forced a smile onto your face.

"Right," you nodded, letting Kiba pull you along. But as you began to climb the staircase, you glanced down to the arena. Sasuke was still watching you; you quickly turned away again.

Squad seven and squad eight were already situated when you and Kiba reached the balcony landing. They were standing side-by-side with only several feet separating them. Hinata and Shino glanced over as Kiba walked towards them, you at his side. His sensei was standing behind them.

You glanced over to your team. Sakura was standing close to the railing, hands over her heart as she stared down below. Naruto was sitting, his legs sticking through the gaps in the railing support bars. He gripped the bars tightly with his hand. Kakashi-sensei was standing close behind Sakura.

As Kiba stopped next to his team, you stopped with him. You were only about two feet away from your team and that was a good distance away for you right now. You were still furious with Sakura, although currently, your despise was being masked by your concern for Sasuke. Standing beside Kiba, you gripped the railing in front of you, looking down at the arena.

"Alright..." Hayate stepped back away from Sasuke and Yoroi. "Begin."

Yoroi brought two fingers to his face. "Shall I start?"

Sasuke smirked. "Go for it."

Yoroi's right hand began to glow with a green light. His left hand, meanwhile, reached back into a weapon pouch on his waist and brought out a shuriken. Sasuke quickly took out a kunai as the shuriken were flung at him, effectively deflecting them. The shuriken flew back at Yoroi but Sasuke stepped back, wincing. Fear seared in your stomach. Was it the curse mark? Was it hurting him?

You glanced away from the match momentarily and to the opposite side of the balcony. The foreign teams had chosen to stand on that side, and among the teams was Natsuo's. You subconsciously noted that Natsuo's team and Gaara's team, although from the same village, were not standing side-by-side. Your eyes found Natsuo. His eyes held the secrets to what was happening to you and Sasuke; and you wanted to know.

A yell from the arena floor snapped your attention away from Natsuo.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, pumping his fists in the air.

Both Sasuke and Yoroi were on the ground. It almost looked like the two were wrestling. Sasuke had his legs pinning Yoroi to the floor, but Yoroi's hand was able to grab the collar of Sasuke's shirt. The two struggled until Yoroi finally released his grip, clenched his hand into a fist, and punched Sasuke in the face. You gasped as Sasuke flew across the arena, hitting the ground. Your fingers gripped the railing in front of you so tight that the whites of your knuckles showed through your skin.

Yoroi took off again towards Sasuke. Sakura called his name as Yoroi's hand grasped Sasuke's forehead, pinning him to the ground. Sasuke's right hand grabbed onto Yoroi's arm, trying to pry it off of him. But as Sasuke struggled, you noticed him seem weaker and weaker until his hand dropped to the ground.

"What's going on?" you whispered fearfully. You saw Kiba turn his head to look at you from the corner of your eye. You felt panic build up into your chest. Trying to relieve it, you leaned your upper body over the railing, yelling down to your teammate. "Goddammit, Sasuke! Stop playing around!"

You watched the field carefully, your eyes quivering. Finally, Sasuke kicked Yoroi in the chest, sending him flying away from him.

"Yes!" you cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

Sasuke panted, standing up. He glanced up to your teammates in turn before turning his eyes on you. You watched him with determination. Sasuke was going to win this. He had to; it was _Sasuke_. He looked back to Yoroi and smirked.

"I'll wipe that smirk clean off your face!" Yoroi cried angrily and ran at Sasuke, hand glowing again.

Sasuke disappeared, flickered, and reappeared underneath Yoroi. He kicked Yoroi in the jaw, sending him flying upwards towards the ceiling. After he was up in the air, Sasuke followed, getting behind Yoroi.

"It's over," Sasuke said under Yoroi as he poked Yoroi in the back. "Eat this!"

You waited for the move, but Sasuke hesitated. You nervously scanned him, wondering what was going on. You saw him wince. 'Oh no…'

"Sasuke…" you whispered.

It seemed like an eternity, but in reality, it had probably only been several seconds until Sasuke regained himself. He smirked. "Okay, let's go."

Sasuke sent a kick at Yoroi's side which Yoroi blocked with his arm. Sasuke took this chance to smash his arm down on Yoroi's chest, sending him flying towards the arena floor. When Yoroi was inches away from the ground, Sasuke brought his leg down into Yoroi's chest. Yoroi crashed into the tiled floor, spraying up tiles.

Blood flew from Yoroi's mouth and Sasuke skidded back. Hayate stepped forward as Yoroi lay in the cracked tiling and Sasuke lay flat on his face, feet away. Hayate walked over to Yoroi and put a hand to his head.

"I can tell you without even looking..." Hayate stood up as Sasuke got to his knees and wiped at his mouth. "Yoroi is unable to battle. This match goes to Uchiha Sasuke."

You let out a breath of air you hadn't realized you'd been holding. You beamed. "Alright, Sasuke!"

"Haha, Sasuke, what a lame way to lose!" Naruto…cheered…from your left.

Sasuke sat up completely and looked up at you as your team cheered. He smirked. Kakashi-sensei disappeared from the balcony, reappearing behind Sasuke, but you didn't pay any mind to that. Instead, you turned to Kiba excitedly.

"He did it!" you grinned. Kiba didn't grin back. He only watched you with eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Your smile fell slowly and you blinked, wondering what Kiba was thinking.

"W-Wow..." Hinata commented softly on Kiba's other side.

"Come on, it wasn't_ that_ great," Kiba muttered, glancing away from you and to the arena floor.

You puckered your lips at Kiba in a mix between confusion and pouting before glancing down to the floor as well. Two medical ninjas had hurried onto the field, carefully moving Yoroi onto a stretcher. They just as quickly took him from the room. Another medical ninja stopped beside Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, but Kakashi-sensei shook his head, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. You couldn't hear what they were saying, but Sasuke stood up and he and Kakashi-sensei walked off of the floor and out of the room.

"The next match will now commence!" Hayate announced. Your eyes followed Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei until they were physically out of your sight. A digital noise brought your attention back to the score board as it began to run through names. It finally settled on two names.

**Abumi Zaku VS. Aburame Shino **

You glanced past Kiba and Hinata to their other teammate. Shino was standing silently, his face directed forward. You didn't know about his eyes, for they were hidden behind his ever-present sunglasses. Finally, he turned on his heel and made his way to the set of stairs leading down to the arena floor. As you watched him walk down the stairs, your eyes caught the doorway that Sasuke had exited from.

'Sasuke…'

Why had Kakashi-sensei taken Sasuke away? Why hadn't he just gone with the medical ninja? Was something seriously wrong? What if something was _seriously _wrong? Concern and guilt flooded your system. If something happened to Sasuke; it'd be your entire fault.

"Kiba," you muttered. He glanced at you in question. "I'm going to go to the bathroom, okay?"

"Um, okay?" Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"Just in case they ask," you pointed a thumb over your shoulder to your two remaining teammates. He nodded and you stepped away, making your way down the flight of stairs.

Trying not to attract much attention, you quickly made your way down the stairs and through the large doors Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei had gone through. The hallways were made of cement and were completely bare. It was somehow cold out here and you shivered. It had just occurred to you that you had no idea where your teammate could be; or Kakashi-sensei for that matter. And what were you thinking you'd accomplish with this? Clearing your conscious? Your name could appear on that board any minute-you were an idiot. But you kept walking.

You didn't know how long you had walked, listening to the echoing of your footsteps, until you finally heard voices. One of the voices was familiar; Kakashi-sensei. The other one…wait…that sounded familiar too…

Your blood ran cold. You _did _know that voice; there was no way you could forget it. It was coming from around the corner.

You peered around the corner to find a room. Its wooden door was ajar. Someone was standing in the doorway and you could see Kakashi-sensei seemingly trying to block their path. Behind Kakashi-sensei, you could just make out Sasuke. He was lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. You held your breath, listening.

"It's been a long time," said the person standing in the doorway; their back was to you. Their long, black hair hung to their lower back. They were clearly speaking to Kakashi-sensei.

"Orochimaru..." you heard Kakashi-sensei growl.

Orochimaru took a step forward into the room. "If you don't mind Kakashi, I need you to step away from that boy behind you..."

Your heart plummeted into your stomach. He was here…he was actually here; and here for Sasuke! This was all your fault…all your fault! Could Kakashi-sensei beat Orochimaru?

"What do you want with Sasuke?"

You couldn't see Orochimaru's face, but he sounded amused. "Oh you know how it goes, when two guys have something, the third guy has to have it too. You've had it for a while, neh? The Sharingan. Uchiha blood…I must possess it!"

"Why? Why Uchiha blood?"

"The newly created Village of the Sound, Otogakure; that is my home. You know how it goes, good help is hard to find."

"Uchiha blood? That is what you want?"

You listened to the conversation with baited breath. Was Orochimaru trying to recruit Sasuke? For what? He was obviously evil, so it couldn't be anything good. You weren't going to let that happen, you wouldn't let him take Sasuke.

You whipped around the corner, dagger in hand. You had planned to take Orochimaru by surprise, moving to stab him in the kidney region but no sooner had you reached him, you were stopped. Without even looking, Orochimaru's hand snapped out, grabbing your wrist. Your hand shook, your blade shaking as you tried to stab him despite his hold, but it was no use.

Slowly, Orochimaru pivoted to look at you. An amused smile was plastered on his face. His snake-like eyes flashed. "Makase Nakao, what a pleasant surprise."

"Nakao, what are you doing!?" Kakashi-sensei sounded nothing but worried…with perhaps a tiny bit of anger thrown in there.

You glared at Orochimaru through your bangs. You tried to wrench your wrist out of his hand, but with no use. Your eyes never left his face. "What are you going to do to Sasuke!?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "_I'm _not going to do anything. Sasuke will choose his own path."

"He'll never choose you," you whispered fiercely.

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, Nakao, though your passion is commendable. Sasuke-kun will-"

"Don't call him that!" you shouted, shoulders heaving up and down in anger.

A sickening grin spread across Orochimaru's face. He leered at you, but you held your ground, never wavering. Sasuke had saved your life countless times, and it was your fault that this was all happening in the first place. You were going to protect him no matter the costs.

A high-pitch squeal reached your ears and you looked past Orochimaru to Kakashi-sensei. His hand appeared to be holding molded chakra; for it was blue, but bolts flew from it like lightning. It was his Chidori. "I don't care if you are one of the legendary sannin; if you don't let her go, one of us will die here."

Orochimaru took the effort to physically throw his head back in laughter. Angry, you aimed a kick at Orochimaru's shin. Orochimaru let you go and you stumbled backwards before your foot could connect. The wall caught your back and your hands flew behind you, palms on the wall keeping you from falling down.

"You just can't see it yet Kakashi, but he will come," Orochimaru said to Kakashi-sensei. He then turned his eyes on you. "And you, my special Nakao, I have special plans for you."

You didn't let show the fear in your mind. Instead, you only glared. He turned on his heel and walked away. You could hear his footsteps fade the further away he got. Pushing yourself away from the wall, you took in a breath of air. You hadn't realized you hadn't really been breathing.

Kakashi-sensei deactivated his Chidori. "Are you insane?"

You glanced to Kakashi. He was staring at you, but he looked tired. You felt that was a rhetorical question and didn't bother to answer. Instead, you looked him in the eye. "He wouldn't have killed me. He wants me, for something."

Kakashi-sensei looked like he wanted to say something, but he sighed, defeated. You glanced around Kakashi-sensei to see Sasuke lying on the ground several feet away on his front. You moved past Kakashi, walking over to the boy. His shirt was off and you noticed that a ring now surrounded Sasuke's curse mark.

"Is he okay?" you were afraid your voice may have sounded a little too high pitched with fear.

Kakashi-sensei said nothing at first as he walked up beside you. He stared down at Sasuke. "He will be fine, as long as he believes in his power."

You slowly looked up to Kakashi-sensei. "The mark on his neck…it's a curse mark."

Kakashi looked to you sharply. "How did you know that?"

"One of the genin teams here…actually, two, I think, are working with Orochimaru."

Kakashi-sensei watched you for a minute before sighing. "Yes, I know. You better return to the arena. Your name could have been called by now."

You frowned, but you knew he was right. You glanced at Sasuke once more before nodding, turning on your heel and exiting the room.

The hallways all looked the same and you couldn't remember which way you had come from, but eventually, you managed to find the doors to the arena. You pulled them open, stepping inside. The bright light in the room was a complete contrast to the darkened hallways.

Closing the door behind you, you began to head for the stairs leading to the balcony, when you actually took a look at the fighters on the floor. You immediately stopped, halfway up the staircase to stare at the scene below you.

Sakura and Ino were out on the arena floor. For some reason, they both had their headbands tied around their foreheads. They were fighting one another using taijutsu, but they looked tired. Had they been fighting for a while before you came? Or did they really just suck that much? That was probably Sakura's case, but you expected more from Ino. You watched as Ino landed a punch in Sakura's abdomen and she flew back, the air knocked out of her.

Removing your attention from the match, you finished climbing the stairs. Kiba glanced over as you walked up, standing beside him. He quirked an eyebrow. "That was a long bathroom break."

You waved your hand airily. Folding your arms atop the railing and slouching towards it, you nodded to the arena floor. "What's going on here?"

A cloud of smoke appeared behind Naruto and you glanced over to see that Kakashi-sensei had arrived. Naruto was so into the fight that he hadn't even noticed. You glanced back to the fight. Sakura was on her feet again and Ino had aimed a punch for her face. It would have landed, if Ino hadn't of halted at the last second, as though changing her mind.

Kiba shrugged in response to your question. "They're rivals or something, right?"

You chewed on the inside of your mouth in thought. "Yeah; they used to be best friends, remember? And then Sakura cut off the friendship because she decided she liked Sasuke too."

"_That's _what happened?" Kiba asked incredulously, actually turning his head to look at you.

You nodded, bored. "Yeah. I mean, every girl in the class liked Sasuke pretty much, but Sakura was just a bitch. She ended the friendship with Ino, claiming that she would be the one with Sasuke or something like that; I don't know. The whole thing's retarded."

Sakura ran forward, pulling back her fist. Ino copied. The two met and caught each other's punches. The two tried to push against each other but ended up jumping back. They each grabbed a shuriken and flung it, but they canceled each other out.

You glanced to Kiba, who had looked back to the match. "Have they been going at this for a while?"

Kiba nodded solemnly, clearly as bored as you were. This was ridiculous. Both of them went to punch either other again. They did so, and they both skidded backwards.

Sakura smirked at Ino. "There's no way someone who obsesses of her appearance and hair is my rival."

You immediately snapped straight, looking around wildly. "Did she just say that? Someone; confirm that she just said that. Is she effing serious!?"

Ino took out a kunai, angrily shouting back to Sakura. "Don't underestimate me!"

Sakura's eyes widened as Ino brought the kunai to her pony tail and sliced the blade through it.

Sakura smirked. "You are so weak minded..."

"Sakura's such a bitch," you mumbled. The two of you would never be able to get along. Ever.

Ino held her hair out in front of her. She flung her hair out towards Sakura. "You see!? I don't need this!" Ino put her fingers together in a handsign. "I'll end this now, by making you give up!"

"That's not going to help you," Sakura smirked.

"We'll just see about that!" Ino shouted.

"You're using the Mind Transfer Jutsu, right? Your mind energy transfers to another body for five minutes, controlling the body, in which time your body is useless. But Ino, if your technique misses, it will not return and will be lost for the five minutes, you will then lose," Sakura said.

You rolled your eyes. "Why did she just explain Ino's own jutsu to her? That was stupid..."

Ino smirked. "Well we won't know until we try!"

'Is she really going to use that? Is Ino insane?' You bit the inside of your mouth. Had Ino finally lost it?

"Mind Transfer Technique!"

Sakura stood, arms dropping to her sides. Ino's body slumped to her knees. Suddenly, Sakura began to laugh. "Nice try, Ino."

Sakura smirked and took a step forward towards Ino, but then stopped in her tracks. Sakura looked down to see Ino's golden locks connected and holding Sakura's legs down like ropes of chakra.

"You've fallen into my trap, Sakura. I got you," Ino looked up smirking. "It's true that my jutsu moves slow, but I tricked you. I pretended to miss and slumped to my knees so I could send chakra through my hair, making a rope so now you can't move. Now, it's time for you to give up."

"Ha!" you pumped a fist in the air. That's when you felt several pairs of eyes on you. Kakashi-sensei and Naruto watched you, Naruto in near shock and Kakashi-sensei silently. You shifted your eyes and moved closer to Kiba, brushing your shoulder against his.

"Now, Mind Transfer Technique!"

There was silence in the stadium and Ino slumped to the ground again. Sakura brought her legs together, eyes shadowed over. "Nice try, Sakura."

You watched Ino…Sakura…with mouth slightly open. Who knew Ino had it in her?

A smile appeared on Sakura's face and her arm began to rise. "I, Haruno Sakura, give-"

"NO!"

Your eyes widened slightly, and you looked over to Naruto. He was standing on the bottom bar of the railing. "Sakura! You've come a long way to get here! You can't let her get to you now!"

"Ah! Get out of my head!"

Your eyes widened and your vision shot back to the match. Sakura was clutching her head.

"Sakura!"

"Get out!"

"Hey, are you going to forfeit or not?" Hayate asked.

"No I'm not!" Sakura yelled. "Get out!"

"No way, this can't be!"

"But it is!"

You watched Sakura argue with herself. Well, with Ino in her mind. You were astonished truthfully. You didn't know the Mind Transfer Technique was beatable. You supposed this just proved that Sakura's insanity really was out of control if it was enough to kick Ino out.

Sakura's fingers came together. "Release!"

A blue shield surrounded Sakura and it whipped back to Ino's body. Sakura slumped to the ground, breathing heavily, glaring at Ino. Ino slowly lifted her own head, glaring back.

"H-how!? Just who are you!?" Ino shouted.

Sakura smirked. "I'm a girl who's as strong as she is beautiful."

You let out a bark of laughter that, this time, also attracted Sakura's attention. You coughed, trying to act innocent. Sakura didn't watch you for very long before she turned her attention back to Ino as she stood up, panting. The two ran at each other again, fists pulled back.

Ino's fist made contact with Sakura's at the same time Sakura's fist made contact with Ino. Blood squirted from their mouths and two headbands flew. Both kunoichis flew backwards. Slowly, they tried to sit up, but they both fell back, unable to move. Hayate looked at the two before announcing. "Both are unable to fight. This is a double knock out, we will move on to the fourth battle."

"Well that was a huge waste of time!" you exclaimed, throwing your arms up in the air irritated.

In the meantime, Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei jumped down to the arena floor to gather up their students. As they brought them back up the stairs, they set them both against a wall next to one another, for they were still passed out.

While this was happening, Naruto slowly turned to you. He rested sad, blue eyes on you. "Nakao, do you really hate Sakura that much?"

You turned to face your teammate, studying his face. You weren't quite sure how to answer. Should you lie? Finally, you spoke. "Do you really hate Sasuke?"

Naruto's face registered the same expression your face must have shown; troubled and curious. Turning away from him, you looked back to the score board. Kiba glanced over at you, nudging you with his shoulder. You glanced to him, nudging him back. He smiled; knowing that you were okay.

You turned your eyes eagerly back to the score board, hoping for your name to pop up. You were sick of watching; you wanted some action. Finally, the score board landed on two names.

**Temari VS Niroku Ryuuku**

"Next match: Temari versus Ryuuku. Will the two please step forward?" Hayate called out to the audience.

The two obliged, both walking down the same flight of stairs; Ryuuku after Temari. Ryuuku was Natsuo's other teammate. They walked side-by-side. Clearly, they knew each other; which made sense if they were from the same village.

Once the two were standing in front of one another on the arena floor, Hayate instructed them to begin. The two stood still for a moment, until Temari spoke. "If you don't start attacking, you'll be finished off in a second."

You saw Ryuuku snort and he reached for the staff-looking weapon on his back. He brought it out in front of him. Temari reached over her shoulder, grabbing the thin, black instrument on her back. She placed one end of it on the ground and it reached to about her shoulders. Ryuuku stood idle for a moment later before finally rushing the blonde. Temari only smirked, flicking open her instrument. It was a giant fan.

As Ryuuku neared, she picked up her fan with ease and slashed it towards Ryuuku like she would a sword. A gust of wind emanated from it, striking Ryuuku with such a force that he was thrown backwards. He did a summersault in the air, landing on his feet. Looking closer, you found that Temari didn't even have the fan completely open; only partially. One large, purple, full moon was visible on the white background. Temari smirked. "This is the first moon. There's two more. When you see all three moons, you know you're finished."

"Those Sand ninja sure are strong…"

You, Kiba, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei glanced behind you. Sakura had woken up and was coming to join you.

"Sakura!" Naruto smiled happily.

Your eyes followed her until she came to a stop at the railing to your left. If you reached your arm out, you'd be able to touch her. You shifted uncomfortably. Had she heard your obvious glee in her defeat? Well, it didn't matter, did it? Sakura knew you hated her; and she hated you.

At that second, Sakura turned her green eyes on you. They looked almost sad but you knew better than that. There was another emotion in her eyes too, but you couldn't read it, couldn't decipher it. You still hadn't figured it out when her vision returned to the match.

You had missed a good portion of the fight thanks to Sakura and as you looked down below, you noticed the Temari was clearly winning. Ryuuku was covered with bleeding cuts and his staff was broken in two. Temari held her giant fan in front of her.

"Third moon..." she said quietly before disappearing. Ryuuku began to look around wildly, wondering where she had gone. "Up here."

Temari was flying overhead atop her fan, like it was a magic carpet. She smirked cockily, falling to the floor. As she did so, she swung her fan with a mighty shove. "Ninpou Kamaitachi!"

A large twister appeared, plowing into Ryuuku before he couldn't even think of a defense tactic. You couldn't see Ryuuku or Temari now, only the twister. You couldn't hear anything either, for the billowing winds overpowered any sounds from the arena.

"What happened?" you whispered.

The twister finally died down. Temari was on the ground, but Ryuuku was in the air, falling towards her. Temari folded up her fan, holding it vertically. Ryuuku fell atop the fan in the middle of his back, effectively breaking it from the loud snapping noise that echoed throughout the arena. You sucked in air, realizing how painful that must have been.

"That was boring..." Temari simply commented, throwing Ryuuku off of her fan and onto the ground.

"Winner of the fifth match, Temari," Hayate announced.

"Geez," you muttered, watching as medical ninjas scrambled onto the arena floor to gather Ryuuku. "She's ruthless."

Kiba, Naruto and even Sakura nodded in agreement as you watch the blonde ascend the staircase across from you like nothing had happened. She hadn't even broken a sweat. Although the ruthlessness of the Sand ninja slightly unnerved you, you felt a slight spark of relief that the member from Natsuo's team had been beaten. Maybe they weren't as threatening as they appeared. You glanced over to Natsuo, he was simply watching the arena floor, elbow on the railing and chin in that hand, looking bored.

The sound of scrambling electronic letters drew your attention to the score board. You were getting antsy. 'Come on, be my turn!'

"Come on, let it be my turn!" Naruto pleaded out loud. You glanced at him, annoyed. You had called it.

Finally, the letters spelt out two names as you held your breath. **Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba**

"YES! Finally! It's my turn! It's my turn! Finally it came!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

Your mouth hung open. Seriously? Fate was cruel. You turned from Naruto's grinning face, to Kiba. He, too, was smiling widely. "We got the kid! We got lucky, Akamaru!"

You glanced in despair between the two of them. Your best friend and your teammate were facing each other in a future-changing battle; who the hell were you supposed to cheer for? This was unfair! Should you cheer at all?

In his excitement, Naruto chose to not even take the stairs. He hauled himself over the railing, jumping down to the clearing.

"Do your best, Naruto!" Sakura called after him.

Akamaru yipped loudly and you glanced over to Kiba. He turned a smile on you, but it faltered slightly at your face. Shit; was it that obvious? You forced a smile onto you face. "Do your best!"

Kiba punched you playfully on the shoulder, grinning. "You didn't need to tell me that."

You smiled until Kiba turned his back on you, headed for the stairs. As he joined Naruto on the arena floor, it fell again. Would the drama ever end?

"The seventh match is between Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba," Hayate announced, stepping back. "Begin."

"I'm so going to win this!" Naruto smirked confidently.

"Nani!? Keep dreaming!" Kiba practically scoffed.

"Ha! You know you're going down!"

"Why you...!"

You slouched forward, folding your arms on the metal railing in front of you. You rested your chin on your arms. Why was life always so conflicting like this?

Kiba took Akamaru from his jacket and placed the small dog on the ground. Naruto pointed to it. "Hey! Don't leave that puppy here! He'll interfere with the match!"

"Bakka, Akamaru fights with me," Kiba said, using a tone of voice indicating that Naruto was stupid. Akamaru barked.

"Hey, hey, is that legal!?" Naruto turned to Hayate.

"Animals and bugs are considered as weapons," Hayate informed.

Annoyance flashed across Naruto's face before he huffed, turning back to Kiba. "Fine! I'll just beat you both then!"

Kiba looked down to his companion. "Don't worry Akamaru, I'll finish this by myself."

"Don't lose to this guy, Naruto!" Sakura called from two feet away from you. It was just her, you and Kakashi-sensei now and it probably would have felt awkward had you not been involved with the match. You glanced at her, but kept your mouth shut.

Kiba kneeled on one knee, starting handsigns. "Gijyuu Ninpou, Shikyaku no Jutsu."

Chakra surrounded Kiba and he began to change. Fingernails became more like claws and teeth became fangs. On four legs, Kiba ran forward, elbowing Naruto hard in the stomach. You watched with mixed emotions. 'I'm not sure who's going to win this. Kiba is super fast; faster than me.'

Naruto flew backwards, landing on the tiled floor. Kiba smirked triumphantly, standing straight. Naruto lay on his back, eyes closed. You bit your bottom lip. 'Was that it? Did Kiba just win? No, that can't be possible; Naruto's better than _that_.'

Kiba turned his back on Naruto, facing Hayate. He was probably about to tell Hayate to declare him the winner, when Naruto began to mumble. He turned around to find Naruto getting to his feet. Kiba scowled. "Nani!?"

'I _knew _that couldn't be all.'

Naruto smirked. There was a small line of blood running down his chin and he brought the back of his hand there, wiping it away. "Don't ever underestimate me!"

"Get him, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"You're bleeding so stop trying to act cool! Stop trying to act tough!" Kiba shouted, facing Naruto once more.

Naruto smirked. "I'm just fooling with you! Why don't you stop acting tough and use your dog!"

Kiba growled. "You're going to regret this! Akamaru, let's go!"

You groaned. Did Naruto have to be so cocky? You had trained with Kiba and Akamaru; they didn't fool around. You guessed Naruto would have to figure that out the hard way.

Kiba and Akamaru started out at a run towards Naruto. As they did so, Kiba shoved a hand onto the pouch at his waist and brought out two, small balls. Naruto blinked. "Smoke bombs?"

"Take this!" Kiba thrust the smoke bombs forward and they exploded on impact on the ground, surrounding Naruto in a large, thick cloud of purple smoke. You heard a shout from Naruto and you lifted your head from your arms slightly. You couldn't say anything going on.

Finally, Naruto ran out of the smoke. He didn't get far before he was attacked by Akamaru. With surprising force from the small animal, Naruto was knocked back into the smoke. As the smoke finally began to clear, Kiba jumped back to his original spot and Naruto's body lay still on the ground. Akamaru sat beside Naruto, wagging his tail, happily.

"Alright! Good work!" Kiba kneeled, allowing the dog to run up to him. Everyone gasped as the dog latched onto Kiba's left arm, biting hard. "A-Akamaru?"

You gasped. Akamaru had never, _never_ bitten Kiba. They were inseparable; like they were the same being. All was explained when Akamaru poofed into a cloud of smoke and turned into Naruto. He let go of Kiba's arm, getting to his feet and taking a step backward. He shook his head, spitting his tongue out. "Ew! You taste nasty!"

Kiba began to look around nearly frantically. "Where's Akamaru!?"

"Over here!" Kiba looked over to find the Naruto that had been previously lying was now standing and holding the poor dog by its front paws. Its back legs hung limp. Your eyebrows knitted together in worry. 'Don't hurt Akamaru…'

You knew that this was a battle, and to win, Naruto would have to take out Akamaru, but you didn't want to have to watch it. In fact, you didn't want to watch this fight at all. Kiba was your best friend and you didn't want to see him get hurt. Kiba was more than your best friend actually; Kiba had been Sasuke's replacement.

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Huh? What?" you lifted your chin from your palm, glancing around. Kiba was sitting next to you, watching you skeptically. "What?"_

_"You haven't been listening to me for the past five minutes."_

_"Oh…sorry…"_

_Kiba glanced in the direction you had been staring at, apparently, for the past five minutes. His gaze rested on the row of seats two aisles down. A boy was sitting at the desk while several girls swarmed around it. The back of his head was to the two of you, but Kiba knew who it was._

_"You were staring at Sasuke?" Kiba looked to you with almost a hurt expression on his ten-year-old face._

_Your cheeks flushed and you held up your palms. "What? No!"_

_Kiba rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat. "You don't need to lie, Nakao. __**All**__ the girls like Sasuke."_

_You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. "Every girl but me."_

_Kiba glanced back down to Sasuke. "Why do all the girls like him?"_

_You blinked then glanced down as well. "I don't know; he's their Prince Charming I guess."_

_"Prince Charming? Like, from the fairytales?" Kiba asked, confused._

_"Yeah," you nodded._

_"So…is Sasuke your Prince Charming too?" Kiba asked cautiously._

_You sighed and replaced your chin on your palm, elbow on the desk. "No. I guess I don't have a Prince Charming."_

_Silence overtook the two of you for a long moment. All the while, you kept your eyes trained on the mob of girls trying desperately to catch Sasuke's attention. You only glanced away when Kiba began to speak._

_"Well…I could be your Prince Charming," Kiba offered shyly, scratching at his cheek._

_You turned your head to him and smiled. You used your other hand to point an index finger at him. "But you don't have a white horse."_

_Kiba's face twisted in concentration for a minute before he brightened, grinning. "I have Akamaru!"_

_You giggled. "Alright, Prince Charming. Just don't take forever getting to my tower; I get bored easily."_

When you shook your head, remembering to watch the match, you noticed that Kiba, who had been shaking a minute ago, had now calmed himself down. Kiba reached to his back pouch. "Naruto, you're going to give me back Akamaru."

Kiba brought out a small, dark round, what looked like, a marble. He put it on his thumb and flung it over to Akamaru, who caught the small thing in his mouth. Before Naruto's eyes, Akamaru's teeth became larger and his fur began to bristle and turn red. Akamaru growled loudly and kicked back, making the clone holding him, disappear. Akamaru jumped back to Kiba.

"Wh-what did you feed him!?" the real Naruto seemed flabbergasted.

Kiba smirked and popped the same thing into his mouth. "Let's go, Akamaru!"

Kiba got down on all fours forming a handsign with his fingers. Akamaru jumped onto his back. "Gijyuu Ninpou!" Naruto's eyes widened as Akamaru transformed into a copy of Kiba, sitting atop Kiba's back. "Jyuujin Bushih!"

"Hey! He used some weird drug! That outta get him disqualified!" Naruto pointed out, looking to Hayate.

"Food pills are considered a tool," Hayate confirmed, coughing.

"What did he eat?" Sakura asked quietly.

"A food pill," you replied before thinking. "It can help a soldier fight for three straight nights and days. Right now, Kiba's and Akamaru's power is a least doubled."

"Four Legged Technique!" Akamaru and Kiba both dashed forward but Naruto jumped out of the way just in time. The two beasts slammed their fists into the ground, flinging debris and small pieces of tile into the air. As the dust cleared, one Kiba ran forward, sending multiple attacks at Naruto, all of which he dodge narrowly.

You chewed on your bottom lip. Now you feared for Naruto. You didn't want _him _to get either. After all, your team had been through so much together. Life and death; good times and bad.

_"One bowl of beef-flavored ramen, please!" you announced the second you stepped into the Ichiraku Noodle Stand._

_The old man who ran the restaurant, and the pretty blonde girl who worked there, glanced up as you walked in. Two people followed behind you; Naruto and Sasuke. Grinning, you took a seat at the bar-like counter, swiveling on your bar stool to look to your male teammates._

_You pointed to Sasuke. "And my friend over there will have…what do you want, Sasuke? Chicken? Miso? One bowl of miso please!"_

_Silently, hands dug deep in his pockets, Sasuke wandered forward, taking the seat beside you. Naruto slinked forward, taking the seat beside Sasuke. Before Naruto could order, you caught the old man's attention._

_"Make sure this all goes on his tab," you winked, shooting a thumb in Naruto's direction._

_The old man blinked as the pretty blonde began to work on your ramen. He looked to Naruto. "Naruto, since when are you so generous when it comes to ramen?"_

_"Naruto lost a bet!" you informed, grinning past Sasuke to Naruto._

_Naruto groaned, slamming his forehead on the counter. You glanced to Sasuke, who had his eyes shut, probably pretending that if he kept them closed long enough, he'd somehow show up at his house away from the two of you. You punched him in the shoulder. _

_"Come on, Sasuke, what's wrong with you? You're missing a prime time to be making fun of Naruto."_

_"He can do that on his own," Sasuke replied._

_"What-!?" Naruto glared over at Sasuke, raising a fist._

_At that moment, the blonde set your bowl of ramen down in front of you, along with a pair of chopsticks. Your eyes twinkled and you broke apart your chopsticks. Sasuke and Naruto watched with twitching eyes as you scoffed down your ramen in a very unfeminine manner._

Kiba swiped at Naruto's head with sharp claws; an attack Naruto barely dodged. Kiba swiped again and Naruto had to jump back, then immediately dodge another attack. How much longer would Naruto be able to keep up with Kiba? You bit your lip. Naruto jump into the air, avoiding another attack.

"Man Beast Ultimate Move!" Kiba shouted, running under Naruto. The two "Kibas" started to turn quickly, becoming a blur. "Fang over Fang!"

As Naruto landed, the two went straight at Naruto at an enormous speed, knocking him into the air again.

"Naruto!" you whispered, a hand finding its way to your face.

Kiba skidded back on all fours as Naruto hit the ground with a loud thud. You clenched the railing tightly. Naruto's face was against the floor, but his hand twitched. "I will...I will be Hokage..."

"How are you going to do that? By lying flat on your face?" Kiba smirked. "Well I have news for you kid, **I'm** gunna be Hokage!"

Kiba let out a loud laugh as Naruto's body twitched in embarrassment. You looked between Kiba and Naruto. 'Please Kiba, don't taunt him…'

"Come on, do you really think a weakling like you can become Hokage?" Kiba asked. "You must be weak in the head."

"Naruto; you can do it!" Sakura called from beside you.

Slowly, Naruto began to wobbly get to his feet. "Sorry but...I'm the top dog around here."

"You're a big talker aren't you?" Kiba scoffed. Naruto smirked so Kiba glared. "Fine, it's your funeral."

Kiba and Akamaru, who was still appearing as Kiba, ran at Naruto. Naruto smirked, blood running from his mouth and from under his headband. "How long are you going to use that old trick?"

"Just once more!" Kiba began to spin again and he and Akamaru once more became gray cyclones from spinning together so quickly. Naruto smirked and jumped into the air, avoiding the two. Naruto fell back towards the ground, but couldn't quite catch his footing. He fell onto his face. Kiba smirked and took out two small smoke bombs, throwing them down by Naruto.

"Fang Over Fang!" Kiba called, repeatedly attacking Naruto within the smoke.

You couldn't see, but that didn't stop you from trying. You strained your eyes, but not even a shadow shown through. Finally, the two Kibas skidded back and the smoke slowly faded away. Naruto stood up carefully, wiping at his mouth. Kiba smirked and ran forward again, throwing two more smoke bombs.

"I can't see anything," Sakura bit her lip, concerned.

This battle lasted a long moment before the smoke cleared. Two Kibas were lying on the ground, while one was on his feet. The other two got to their feet.

Your eyebrows knitted in confusion. 'A transformation jutsu? That won't work; Kiba's nose is as sensitive as a dog's; he'll just sniff Naruto out.'

"So, I see you've gotten better at your transformation jutsu," Kiba smirked. "But you forgot, you can't fool my nose!"

Kiba punched the Kiba in front of him and he went flying, hitting the ground and rolling. There was a 'poof' of white smoke and the fallen Kiba turned into Akamaru.

You gasped. "That's impossible!"

You could sense Sakura and Kakashi-sensei glanced over to you, but you didn't take your eyes off of Kiba.

"You!" Kiba turned and punched the remaining Kiba in between the eyes, sending him flying backwards as well. There was another 'poof' of white smoke and Kiba hit the ground and Akamaru appeared again. Kiba's eyes widened.

Your mouth dropped open slightly. 'Naruto turned into Akamaru the first time to mess with Kiba's head…and it worked. How the heck did Naruto come up with such a smart plan?'

"Good going, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

At that moment, Naruto transformed back into himself and ran towards Kiba. Akamaru was now down for the count and only Kiba remained to fight Naruto. By the time Kiba turned around, Naruto's leg reached up and his foot connected with Kiba's chin. Kiba was sent flying upwards.

"Yeah, go Naruto!" Sakura grinned. Kiba stood up, taking out several shuriken for each hand. Naruto smirked and put two fingers up in front of him.

"Now that you're finally serious, Kiba, I can use my new jutsu!"

'New jutsu? What new jutsu?' you glanced nervously to Kiba.

Kiba scowled. "New jutsu? Whatever! You're bluffing!"

"Really? Then try me!" Naruto challenged. Naruto held out his hands.

"You ready!?" Kiba ran forward. Kiba threw his shuriken making Naruto have to dodge to the side. Shuriken after shuriken were thrown, making Naruto move one way, then another without rest.

"Beast Mimicktry! All Fours Jutsu!" Kiba rammed into Naruto. Naruto skidded backwards but Kiba immediately caught up, punching Naruto across the face.

"Naruto!" Sakura worriedly called. Your fingers tightened around the railing.

As Naruto got to his feet, Kiba quickly circled him, only looking like a blur of gray. Kiba then clawed at Naruto, sending him back again. Kiba followed relentlessly and clawed at Naruto again but Naruto blocked. He smirked, grabbing onto Kiba's shoulders and throwing him across the arena. Kiba landed on all fours and watched Naruto carefully.

Naruto reformed his handsign. "I will be Hokage! And I won't lose to you!"

"How can you beat me when you can't even keep up with me?" Kiba ran forward and jumped into the air, rushing down at Naruto.

Naruto jumped forward, barely avoiding Kiba's attack. Kiba landed behind Naruto. Kiba smirked and started to run forward. Naruto held up his handsign. "I have to preform my technique!"

"Too late!" Kiba got right behind Naruto, ready to strike, when Naruto let out a large fart.

Kiba staggered backwards. "Ah! That's disgusting!"

Your eye twitched as you watched your blonde-haired teammate. 'Poor Kiba…His sense of smell is ten times higher than a normal human's.'

"Uh...whatever works, Naruto!" Sakura supported. "You slowed him down at least!"

Naruto shrugged. "I wish I could say I planned it. But now it's time for me reveal my new technique. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fingers together in a handsign, multiple forms of Naruto appeared, standing side by side, a total of five. The Narutos circled Kiba who was still nauseated by Naruto's flatulence. One Naruto punched Kiba backwards and allowed another Naruto to jump off his back. Three other Narutos kicked Kiba up into the air where Naruto was.

"Uzamaki Barage!" Naruto called, kicking Kiba in the face and sending him towards the floor, blood squirting from Kiba's face as it made contact with the tile.

You gasped, fearfully clutching the railing in front of you. 'Kiba!'

As Naruto completed his Sasuke-copied jutsu, Naruto turned into just one. Kiba laid face-first on the tiled ground.

Hayate coughed before announcing. "Winner, Uzamaki Naruto."

"Way to go, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

Naruto glanced up and grinned, and made off towards the stairs. You weren't paying any attention, however. You were already bounding down the staircase, hopping three stairs to the ground. This was where you met Naruto. Confusion was written on his face, and he held out a hand to say something to you, but you only pushed past him, your mind completely focused on the task at hand.

When you ran to the middle of the arena floor, two medical ninjas were already seeing to Kiba. They had placed him on a stretcher and a third medical ninja had collected Akamaru, holding him in his arms. You ran over to the stretcher, which the two medical ninjas were carrying. They stopped as you ran up, allowing you reach over the stretcher, taking Kiba's hand.

"Kiba, are you alright?" you breathed.

Kiba weakly turned his head to look at you. He smirked, winced but then answered you. "I didn't hear any cheering."

"I couldn't cheer for just one of you," you scolded, removing your hand from his so that you could punch his arm.

Kiba winced again, but stayed smiling. His body was bruised but there didn't seem to be much bleeding. It looked like Kiba's nose might be broken and the medical staff would probably have to monitor for a concussion.

"But you came to see me instead," Kiba noted.

You blinked before smiling softly. "What are best friends for?"

Kiba weakly raised a hand, grasping your right shoulder. He squeezed it gently. "Don't lose."

You covered his hand with yours. "Duh."

Kiba smirked before the two medical ninjas nodded at you. You stepped away and they made their way off of the arena floor. As several young males finished sweeping off debris from the floor, you turned around, headed for the staircase. You needed to go congratulate your teammate.

As you walked, you could hear the board behind you begin to shuffle through names. Just as you put one foot on the first step, the noise stopped. You glanced over your shoulder to see who was next.

**Makase Nakao vs. Shiro Etsuko**


	21. Nakao's Hidden Motivation

'Shiro Etsuko? Who's that?'

You lifted your eyes to the opposite side of the balcony. You knew everyone-until your eyes found Natsuo's team. You quickly concluded that Etsuko was Natsuo's female teammate. She confirmed your decision when she jumped up and down, clapping her hands together with glee; like she was getting a puppy for Christmas.

You tore your eyes from the girl. You took your foot off of the first step and retraced your steps back to the arena floor. Etsuko made her way down the other set of stairs and met you in the middle of the floor. The two of you stood a foot apart, facing each other. Etsuko's turquoise-colored eyes were shining with delight and anticipation.

Hayate stood between the two of you. "This match is between Makase Nakao and Shiro Etsuko. Do either of you object?"

"No way!" Etsuko smiled; her voice was sickeningly high-pitched.

You only shook your head, never taking your eyes off of Etsuko. Hayate coughed into his hand before nodding. "Then you may begin."

Hayate stepped back to the far end of the room; off of the arena floor. You and Etsuko stood alone, staring each other down.

"So _you're _Nakao, huh?" the girl smiled. Her smiles always consisted of one side quirking upwards; almost like she was smirking.

"That would be me," you responded, face dead-panned.

Etsuko giggled, clapping her hands happily again, "Oh this is going to be so much fun!"

Etsuko reached over her shoulder, unclasping the weapon on her back. It was a giant metal ring that looked like a hula hoop-besides for the shiny blades along the edges. The blades were inches apart all the way around so that Etsuko had somewhere to put her hands. The hoop was nearly as tall as her.

You eyed Etsuko's weapon. You knew nothing about Etsuko besides that she came from the Land of Wind; but that didn't mean much. You decided to play defense, sliding a foot back to move into a stance.

"I'm so excited!" Etsuko giggled, raising her ring.

With a mighty heave, the green-haired girl hurled her ring towards you. It was quick; spinning so fast that you couldn't even see the blades. You waited for it to near you; pushing chakra into your feet as it did so and jumped up. The ring whizzed beneath you.

In the air, you took out several shuriken and sent them at Etsuko. She dodged with ease. Taking out your daggers, you dropped down. Your plan was to knock Etsuko down, hold your blade to her neck and claim victory. She had different plans.

Etsuko watched you fall towards her. She ran through handsigns. From out of nowhere, dozens of healthy-looking, green leaves swirled around her entire body.

'Leaves?' you thought, but it was too late to stop your attack. You flew into the leaves, but didn't pass through them. They acted like a steel barrier, protecting Etsuko. You could see her eyes gleam before you were tossed away.

You landed on the hard, tiled floor, skidding on your back. You shot up into a sitting position, staring at your arms. Any bare skin was cover in tiny cuts. They did not bleed, but stung like hundreds of paper cuts. Etsuko dismissed the harmful leaves, smiling at you.

You growled, hopping to your feet. You were _not _going to lose here. And you definitely wouldn't lose to one of Natsuo's teammates.

"You can do it, Nakao!"

You glanced up to the balcony, finding Naruto pumping his fists in the air.

You looked back to Etsuko. 'She must use Earth-styled attacks.'

This could work to your advantage. Fire was Earth's weakness. 'Arashi Kamekaze.'

Wind slid down your arms, attaching to your blades. You had to concentrate to keep it on only the blades and fight at the same time. With another set of handsigns, you took in a deep breath and blew out. Your blades became alit with flames. Etsuko was still standing idly. You rushed her, slashing a blade across her chest. Etsuko's body was suddenly engulfed in flames and she burned quickly. Ashes fell into a heap at your feet. 'Shit; she used a replacement!'

"Yoohoo!"

You whirled around to find Etsuko almost on top of you. Her blade was coming down on you. You gasped, holding your blades in front of your face. Metal clashed against metal as Etsuko's ring pushed against your blades.

"Wrong again!"

Etsuko's mocking voice rang in your ears. You gasped, eyes staring at the Etsuko struggling against you. With a cry of effort, you pushed away the clone and dodged to the side as Etsuko attacked from behind you.

You dived to the ground on your side. Your right hand, the arm against the floor, clutched at your left arm. Just below your headband, blood seeped through your fingers, staining them crimson. You glanced up to find the clone gone but Etsuko standing some feet away from you, twirling her ring casually.

You winced. 'That thing would have cut my arm clean off if I hadn't dodged!'

You got to your feet, still holding your arm. It was in pain and you were afraid to see the size and depth of the gash. Etsuko continued to play with her ring with practiced ease; she was smiling. "Nice dodge!"

You watched Etsuko carefully. What was with this chick? You had dropped one blade, but your left hand was still clutching the other. You needed to retrieve your other blade from the ground-you were going to need to remove your right hand from your wound. When you slowly did so, wiping your hand against your black shirt, you glanced to your left arm.

The gash was deep, explaining the massive amount of blood. You could see white bone. You swallowed against your throat. Glancing away and to the arena floor, you located your blade several feet to your left. Your eyes flickered to Etsuko for a moment before you dashed for your blade.

Etsuko's eyes flashed and she thrust her deadly ring straight at you. You slid towards your blade like you were sliding to home base, grabbing the handle. You immediately rolled away just as Etsuko's ring dug itself into the tiled floor where you were milliseconds earlier.

You hopped to your feet, breathing heavily. Your arm was still screaming at you, but it was distant as adrenaline coursed through your system. You set your eyes on Etsuko as her ring shuddered in the ground before flying back towards her like a boomerang. She caught the blade, her hand perfectly grabbing a section between the blades.

This was enough of that. It was time for you to switch to offense. Gripping your blades, you rushed Etsuko. She stood her ground calmly, ring held out in front of her. As you reached her, your body flickered and you appeared behind her. You sliced a blade at her neck but she ducked, spinning around in a crouching position as she did so, sweeping her ring at your legs.

You jumped up, replacing your daggers on your weapon belt as you did so. In the air, you ran through a series of handsigns, took in a deep breath of air and pinched your index finger and thumb together, bringing them to your lips. You blew out a stream of red fire. Unlike Sasuke's fireball shape, your fire split into several different streams after leaving your mouth.

The streams of fire rushed down towards Etsuko. As one neared her, she jumped backwards and the stream of fire struck the ground. Another stream was already headed her way and Etsuko was forced to dodge again. The process repeated several times and Etsuko managed to dodge every stream.

Just as the last stream of fire struck the ground in front of Etsuko, your eyes flashed. Kekki genki activated, you directed a blast of wind to strike the flames before they went out. The fire roared to life, its flames leaping out at the unsuspecting Etsuko.

You heard the girl cry out as you fell back to the floor on your feet. The fire died, revealing Etsuko still on her feet, but her clothes were singed. The smell of burnt hair also infiltrated your nostrils. Etsuko slowly brought a hand up, running it through her mint green hair. Fried locks detached and fell to the ground. She watched, mouth agape.

When she turned her eyes back on you, they weren't happy anymore. She was glaring at you. "Alright, that's enough fooling around!"

Etsuko's eyes flashed dangerously. You made to take off at a run towards her, but you only got several feet before something suddenly exploded in front of your eyes. It was a blinding flash of white and you flew backwards, hitting the ground on your back.

With a grunt of pain, you struggled into a sitting position. You looked around you. Everything was dark, like nightfall without the moon or stars. You peered up and around; the balconies and everyone on them, were gone. As your eyes adjusted to the darkness, you noticed you were surrounded by trees; like you were in a forest clearing.

'What the hell?' You took a step forward.

Something darted out of the dark brush. It rushed past you, back into the tress. You whipped around, but it was gone. All you had seen was a black shadow. While you were distracted, something attacked you from behind.

Something latched onto your ankle. You gasped in surprise, looking down. What appeared to be a tree branch was wrapping itself around your ankle. You tried to pull your foot away but you were trapped. Your foot wouldn't budge and the branch was traveling up your shin. Another branch started to work on your other leg. The branches stopped at your knees.

'Shit!' You tried to move, but it was frivolous.

The leaves on the trees around you began to rustle together, but they made no noise. It was like the world around you was on mute. You watched with apprehension as an unfelt wind blew leaves from the trees. They danced innocently towards you. One moved to brush your cheek-It slashed across your skin.

You gasped in pain, moving your right hand to your cheek. You could feel warm blood. Another leaf sliced at your side. Another came and another until your vision was clouded with leaves. You cried out in pain as you were practically diced.

'H-How!? This can't be real…we're in the arena…'

A leaf sliced at your throat. 'Is this a genjutsu? It has to be. I can beat this! If Sasuke were here he'd-'

Sasuke. You couldn't lose here, not when you had made it this far. Not after you had faced Orochimaru and survived. You owed it to your teammate to pass this since, after all, he did sacrifice himself for you to get this far.

_"Are you okay?" you finally whispered, breaking the silence._

_Letting go of one of your shoulders, Sasuke's left hand moved to cover the mark on his neck subconsciously. Concentration flashed across his face. You watched him with sad eyes. Why were you always such a burden?_

_Sasuke's right hand was still on your shoulder; and you were very aware of it. You looked away, squeezing your eyes shut. Finally, still not looking at the boy, you whispered. "Why did you do that?"_

_You looked back to find Sasuke watching you. His face was blank and he removed his hand from your shoulder. "Do what?"_

_You sat back, able to sit up on your own now. "Jump in the way like that?"_

_"I don't know," Sasuke replied, glancing to his left at nothing._

_"That seems to be a reoccurring pattern with you. I'm beginning to think you never know what you're doing," you rolled your eyes, half-teasing._

_Sasuke slowly turned his vision back to you. "How did Orochimaru know who you were?"_

_You blinked, taken aback by the question. Slowly, you shrugged. "I don't know. How did he know who you were?"_

_"He said Itachi's name…" Sasuke said so quietly it was almost a whisper._

_"And he said Keitaro's…" you muttered, glancing to the ground in thought._

_You glanced up at the same time, watching one another._

With several handsigns, wind was flowing around you. Eyes closed in concentration, you created a near whirlpool of wind; the radius of which you hoped would fill the entire arena floor. Another set of handsigns and a spark flew from your lips.

Flames shot up, swirling around the arena, following the flow of your wind. You pushed more chakra into your attack, making the flames bigger and spreading them around the arena. Finally, you heard a scream.

In an instant, the darkness and trees were gone. Your feet were free. You were standing on the arena floor once more. Your flames were still swirling around the arena. You saw Etsuko leap out of the flames, landing in the middle of the arena where there was no fire, on her side. She cringed, grasping at her left arm. Payback's a bitch.

You smirked; this was it. The flames, as directed by you, shot out toward Etsuko. They were seconds away from hitting when two things suddenly happened at once. Etsuko must have performed a jutsu, as the tiled floor was suddenly pulled up, looking much like a tissue would if you pinched it in the middle as you grabbed it. The floor shielded her and your fire crashed into it, effectively saving her.

On the other side of Etsuko, several tiles detached from the ground and flew towards you. Your eyes widened in surprise and in your distraction, your flames and wind died. You moved to dodge the tile headed straight towards you, not noticing the one in its shadow. It shot out at an angle, headed straight for your new destination. You gasped, but it was too late.

The tile connected with your already injured, left arm. A loud crack echoed throughout the stadium as the bone in your bicep snapped in two.

Agony shot through you, like a white hot pain. Black dots appeared in your vision from pain. You fell to the ground, whacking your chin on the hard tiles as you did so. You groaned, the fingers on your right hand twitching.

A noise from in front of you caught your attention. Forcing your eyes open, for they were sealed tight from the pain, you found Etsuko getting to her feet. You noticed that her left arm was completely bare and was burnt. From the appearance, that was either a second, or third-degree burn. Her hair was burnt and clumps were missing here and there. Her clothes were also singed, completely missing in some areas.

She was glaring at you as she stood on her feet. She grasped her ring, raising it above her head. With a cry of effort, she flung her weapon straight towards you.

Your breathing shallowed. Using the last bit of your chakra, you activated your kekki genki one last time. With your own cry, wind blasted from your body. It caught the ring, spinning it counter clockwise, and sent it flying back towards Etsuko.

Etsuko's eyes widened as she saw her weapon spinning back towards her. She moved to back away, but only ran into the wall she had created from the tiled floor. She was trapped. Before she could signal her limbs to move elsewhere, the ring caught her left arm at the shoulder before slamming into the tiled wall behind her.

Tiles crumbled to the floor. Etsuko's arm dropped solo to the ground at her feet with a sickening **thump**. Blood leaked out of its open bicep as blood squirted from her shoulder socket. The metallic sound of her ring hitting the ground and sliding followed.

In shock, Etsuko's head slowly turned to look at her left side, where her arm used to be. Her mouth was gaping, her eyes wide. Still in shock, she fell to her knees, her right hand fumbling for her arm, grabbing it.

"I'm ending the match," Hayate quickly rushed onto the floor as Etsuko attempted to stick her arm back on her body. "Winner of the seventh match: Makase Nakao."

You gazed up at Hayate from your spot on the ground, breathing heavily. Without the adrenalin pumping through you, you suddenly felt drained and woozy. There was a searing pain in your arm; a pain so intense it made you want to faint. Instead, you threw up on the ground in front of you.

There were running footsteps and you were being rolled onto your back. You saw medical ninjas tending to you; probably putting you on a stretcher. You were so tired that you were mostly unaware of what was going on around you. There was no sound in your world right now.

'I won…' You realized, but the words meant nothing. The significance of those two words seemed foreign to you right now. But the next thought ran crystal clear through your mind. 'Wait until I tell Sasuke…'

* * *

'So…BORED!' you exasperated to yourself, throwing your back down on the bed. Your head landed on the pillow and you gazed up at the ceiling. The hospital was supposed to release you today but coincidently, you hadn't even seen a nurse assistant yet today.

Fortunately, your hospital stay hadn't been a long one. Thanks to the medical ninjas working on you everyday, your arm was now healed. Your broken bone was mended and the large gash was now a pink s ar-though they had advised you to take it easy. All together, this was your forth morning waking up in the same hospital bed.

The time you had spent here, however, had been completely dull. No one had even come to see you! Guess you found out you didn't have friends. Granted, you assumed some may be hospitalized; but Naruto and Kakashi-sensei weren't! The only person who had come by was Keitaro and that was only once for a couple of hours.

You heard a knock on your dor, gaining your attention. The nurses always knocked before entering. 'Thank god, I can go home!'

The door opened and a person walked through the doorway, but it wasn't a nurse. Your eyes brightened and a grin spread across your face. "Kiba!"

Kiba closed the door behind him, smiling at you. His hood was down, revealing the mop of brown hair on his head. He looked completely healed with not a scratch on him.

"You're okay!" you commented as Kiba moved towards you.

"Of course," Kiba responded, pulling a chair up to the side of your bed. He sat down, elbows resting on his thighs. "They released me yesterday but told me it was past visiting hours already."

"You could have snuck in," you muttered sourly.

Kiba only smiled at you. "So I see you won your match."

"Huh?"

Kiba reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, handing it to you.

"Yeah, I went right after you," you said distractedly as you opened the paper.

Printed on the paper was a bracket system with names. Noting the names, you quickly determined these were the match set ups for the third exam.

"Everyone gets a month to train," Kiba explained.

"A whole month?" you glanced to him, then back to the paper.

**Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji**

**Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara**

**Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino**

**Makase Natsuo vs. Makase Nakao**

**Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru**

Your eyes hardened. 'Natsuo…'

_"You're honorable for doing so, however," Kabuto continued. "And for that, I will show you the proper path to take." _

_You turned to Kabuto, a bit of surprise in your voice. "Proper path?" _

_Kabuto turned his back again to lead your group. "But first, put out that fire. It might have attracted enemies by now."_

_"Wait," Sasuke suddenly said, halting Kabuto in his tracks. He turned around as Sasuke continued. "Do you still have your recognition cards with you?"_

_You glanced at Sasuke in question. A smirk slid onto Kabuto's face. "Is there someone you want information on?"_

_"A Sand ninja; his name is Natsuo," Sasuke replied as Kabuto took his deck of cards from a pouch around his waist._

_Your eyebrows furrowed together as you looked over at Sasuke. Kabuto knelt on the ground, placing a blank card face-up on the ground. He glanced up in amusement. "No last name this time?"_

_"Makase…" you said after a pregnant pause._

_Both Sasuke and Kabuto glanced over at you. You only continued to watch the card on the ground. As Kabuto applied chakra, the card began to spin rapidly. When it came to a rest, its blank surface was now decorated with information._

_A picture of Natsuo's upper body took up the upper, left-hand side of the card. Beside that was a chart detailing his stats and abilities. Beneath that were thumbnail pictures of his two teammates and sensei. Underneath his picture read his mission statistics._

_"Natsuo is sixteen," Kabuto's eyes scanned the card. "He's completed…this is incredible…he's a genin but there are no D-ranked missions listed for him. He's completed eleven C-ranked missions and 10 B-ranked. This __**is **__his first year taking the exam however so I could be missing information on him. His squad leader is Miroshi and his teammates are Ryuuku and Etsuko. It looks like all of his skills are pretty even except for his genjutsu. There's nearly no improvement on that. But the rest of his stats are pretty high. But like I said, this is his first time taking this exam and he's a foreign ninja…he could be even more dangerous."_

"Those are tough opponents," Kiba said quietly, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"Huh?" you glanced over, lowering the paper to your lap.

Kiba had been looking down but he slowly lifted his head, watching you. "Please be careful."

Your eyes softened before you reached out, playfully shoving Kiba. "What are you worrying for? I'm invincible."

"I see that," Kiba rolled his eyes sarcastically before giving you a pointed stare. "I'm serious, Nakao."

You sighed, taking a glance at the paper on your lap. Natsuo's name stood out boldly. You replied without glancing up. "Don't worry…I won't be losing."


	22. An Exercise in Trust

You fell to your knees, exhausted. The large slab of concrete that had been standing tall in front of you broke apart, crumbling to the ground. You bent over, palms on the ground, breathing heavily. The hair that wasn't matted to your face from sweat fell like curtains over your shoulders.

Your bare arms, for you had switched from your normal outfit to a light purple tank top and black shorts due to the insufferable July heat, were cut, scraped, bruised and bleeding. Some of the damage had been caused by your own techniques, specifically your kekki genki. Keitaro was training you day in and day out, honing your abilities. Every day you were ripping structures and trees from the ground and surrounding yourself with various types of debris, learning defensive techniques. Stray articles of many types had been cutting at your skin should you lose an ounce of concentration. Sometimes, even the wind itself cut at you.

Your skin was sheening with a thin layer of blood from the sheer force of your chakra. Your muscles screamed in protest as your body threatened to collapse on the ground. Every day was like this, training until your body physically caved in on you. You were pushed to your breaking limit every day and every day, you woke up more tired and exhausted than the last.

"Quicker next time. I could have killed you in the time it took you to do that."

Panting, you peered over your shoulder at Keitaro. He stood behind you about ten feet away, his brown eyes watching your every move critically. During the two weeks you had been training, he had yet to award you a single positive comment.

He was scared, you realized; scared that you were going to lose to Natsuo. He was training you so intensely because the very idea of Natsuo seemed to trouble him.

_Escaping the heat of the day, you pushed open the door to your house, scurrying inside. You let out a sigh of relief, wiping your forehead with the back of a wrist while your other hand closed the door._

_"You're home."_

_You turned around to find Keitaro getting to his feet; he had been sitting at the dining table. Hands in his pockets, he wandered towards you. You met him in the middle of the dining room._

_"Nice of you to visit me in the hospital," you crossed your arms over your chest._

_"I was busy with missions," Keitaro rubbed the back of his neck. "But I was worried about you the whole time."_

_You shook off his supposed concern. "Well Kiba came and visited me today."_

_"That's good," Keitaro said distractedly as he watched you pull something out of your pants pocket._

_You pulled out the folded piece of paper Kiba had given you earlier. Unfolding it, you handed it to Keitaro, who took it in his right hand. His brown eyes scanned the paper and you watched him very closely. _

_As Keitaro's eyes met the bottom of the paper, you saw his face pale. His lips twisted into a grimace and his knuckles tightened ever so slightly as he clutched the paper. His eyes finally snapped to you. "I know you're given a month to train. You need to start right away."_

_You stared at Keitaro defiantly. "Who is he?"_

_"What…?" he nearly whispered back._

_You stood your ground, eyes boring into his. "Who is Makase Natsuo? I know you know who he is."_

_Keitaro almost looked like he was choking on something. You could see his Adams apple twitching in his throat and his eyes were darkened and wide with what almost appeared to be anger._

_"What is going on, Keitaro? I know you know what's been going on and I want to know why I'm getting attacked and targeted from people I've never heard of before."_

_Keitaro finally sighed after a long moment, sinking into the nearest seat beside your table. He placed an elbow on the table top, resting his forehead in the palm of his hand. The paper with the bracket system was set atop the table. You slowly wandered over to the opposite side of the table, sitting down across from him._

_You gazed at Keitaro expectantly before he finally lifted his head, his eyes meeting yours. When he caught your look he sighed again, closing his eyes tightly for a second before reopening them. "Makase Natsuo is our cousin."_

**_He bent down, pushing his lips against yours . Your scream got caught in your throat; your eyes widened so much you thought your eyeballs might pop out of their sockets._**

_Your blood ran cold in your veins. Your stomach turned dangerously and you could taste bile climbing up your esophagus. You kept your lips squeezed together for a long moment, afraid you might vomit. Keitaro, himself, seemed extremely distressed as he watched your reaction. You finally whispered. "Cousin?"_

_"On our mother's side," Keitaro continued, looking like it was paining him to tell you this. "His mother…our aunt, is…was…our mother's younger sister."_

_"Was?" you repeated quietly._

_Keitaro nodded solemnly. "She's dead now. She was a very bitter woman, Nakao. She was always jealous of Mother because of her abilities and her personality. I don't know if you remember, Nakao, but Mother was always a wonderful person. Always kind and helpful."_

_"I remember," you whispered, eyes locked on Keitaro._

_Keitaro sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. His face revealed that he felt like his head might explode. His eyes were still shut when he spoke again. "You…met Orochimaru, didn't you?"_

_You nodded, your mouth dry. Keitaro glanced up when you remained quiet, so you nodded again._

_He nodded to himself, dropping his hand, resting it on the table top. He set his eyes on you. "Nakao, Mother and Father left Sunagakure because the Makase Clan had aligned themselves with Orochimaru."_

_You felt your lips drying. When you spoke, your voice was scratchy. "Is that why our clan was massacred?"_

_Keitaro squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, prompting your eyebrows to crinkle together in confusion. He ignored the question and carried on. "Because Mother wanted nothing to do with Orochimaru and his plans, our aunt gratefully took her place and became completely devoted to Orochimaru. She even offered him her only son to do with as he pleased."_

_"Natsuo…"_

_Keitaro nodded. "Natsuo is Orochimaru's apprentice; or something of the sort."_

_You realized your breathing was shallow and sighed to get it back on track. Your mind was swimming with information and questions. You shook your head, glancing back to Keitaro. "So why is he here? What does he want? Why does Orochimaru want me?"_

_You saw Keitaro shifted uncomfortably again, but he didn't ignore you this time. He glanced away as he answered. "Orochimaru was known to experiment on members of our clan. Our kekki genki has so many scientific aspects and advantages that Orochimaru worked on dissecting, replicating, anything. When most of the clan was wiped out…that all ended. My guess is he's here for you so that he can use you as his new test subject."_

_A shiver ran up your spine as goose bumps rose on your skin. You swallowed against your throat. "What about you? Doesn't he want you too?"_

_Keitaro sighed and shook his head. "Probably not. Orochimaru probably assumes, with good reason, that I'm a lost cause. He knows I'd rather die before joining him but you…"_

_You waited, heart pounding._

_"You didn't know any of this...he wanted to manipulate you to join him. But Nakao, you mustn't."_

_Your eyes searched Keitaro's. He honestly thought you might join Orochimaru? How could he think something like that?_

_"What about Sasuke?" you finally asked._

_Keitaro was visibly taken aback. "What?"_

_"Why does he want Sasuke?" you asked again._

_Keitaro's mouth twitched open and closed, like he was struggling with the words he wanted to say. Finally, he sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know, Nakao."_

_Something about the way Keitaro turned his head away from you, glancing down to the paper on the table, lead you to believe he might be lying._

You turned your head forward again, bowing it so that your chin rested on your chest. Sweat rolled down the side of your face. Your eyes gazed upon the cement rubble in front of you.

Despite Keitaro's constant training, you felt like you weren't getting any stronger. Although you knew that was probably untrue, you couldn't shake the dread you felt about facing Natsuo. You didn't feel as though you were ready to face him. You felt almost…scared.

Natsuo was strong; this you already knew. Plus, he knew the secrets behind your kekki genki and all the moves. He probably even knew more than you did and could probably use them better. Who knew what him and Orochimaru had discovered and enhanced?

You only had a week and a half left to train before the start of the third exam. Right now, the fact that the exam would determine if you were ready to graduate to chuunin level, wasn't a prominent thought on your mind. Instead, you could only dwell on the fact that this was a life or death situation. You could _die _in that arena. You could walk in and never walk out.

"Let's do it again. You're too slow Nakao," Keitaro said.

Your body shook and your fingernails dug into the ground beneath them. You could feel your chest tighten as your mind swirled with emotions. "Don't you have anything positive to say!?"

"Show me something positive in your performance."

Fear and irritability caved in under the strain and the hot sun and turned into anger. You hopped to your feet, whirling around, glaring daggers at your brother. "If my performance is lacking, why don't you take a look at yourself!"

"What?" Keitaro's eyes narrowed.

"A student is only as good as their teacher," you snapped, eyes narrowed as well.

You could see Keitaro's teeth clench and his cheeks flush with heat. "I'm trying to teach you everything I know."

"Bullshit!" your hands clenched into fists at your sides. "I don't believe that! You didn't teach me everything you knew about our family, why would you teach me everything you know about fighting?"

"I didn't tell you those things to protect you!"

"Protect me from what!?"

"From-!"

But Keitaro didn't finish his sentence. He seemed to be catching himself from revealing something and snapped his lips together. This only angered you further. You didn't have time for this. If you couldn't trust your own brother, who _could _you trust?

Fear, anger, vulnerability, insecurity all swirled around in your mind. You felt like you were going to crack under the pressure and you wanted it to just go away. You felt the emotions bottle up in your chest until you finally let them fuel your chakra.

You whipped through handsigns faster than ever. Wind began to swirl around you, creating a tornado several stories high. With a cry, you shoved the twister straight towards your brother. His eyes flashed and he activated his kekki genki. With little effort, Keitaro whipped up his own twister, one larger than yours, and rammed it straight into yours. His twister seemed to engulf yours and he ended the jutsu.

The trees around the clearing were either ripped out of the ground or were snapped in half like twigs. Debris littered the area and leaves fluttered to the ground. But you were nowhere in sight. Keitaro cursed.

* * *

You sighed to yourself, trying to make your irrational emotions go away, or at least calm down. You slumped against the stone wall of the bridge you stood on, resting crossed arms on the top of it. You then rested your chin atop your arms.

The forestry around you was fairly quiet and undisturbed. Only the rustling of bushes revealed any life around you; and it wasn't human. It was peaceful out here, so deep in the woods. Memories surfaced on your brain.

_"Come on, Nakao!" Sasuke grabbed you by the hand and you ran from the Uchiha compound._

_"Where are we going, Sasuke-kun?" you asked._

_"It's a secret," he grinned, looking over at you. You grinned back._

Sighing at the fond memory, your mind switched to recent thoughts. Your anger towards Keitaro was slowly forgotten as your mind focused on Natsuo. Just the thought of his name now made you sick to your stomach. What kind of person could kiss their own cousin?

You squeezed your eyes shut momentarily. That's what unnerved you about Natsuo, more than anything else. His lack of conscious. Without a sense of human conscious, what could a person be capable of? They could kill innocent people without batting an eye; commit bloody atrocities without a second thought.

You reopened your eyes, but kept your gaze cast downwards so that you were watching the ground. You sighed through your nose. You shouldn't have snapped at Keitaro like you had done; he was trying to help you. And you needed to face it; you needed his help.

Then again, you couldn't help but wonder-what else had Keitaro kept from you? Was your entire life a sham? Well, maybe that was a little dramatic but it wasn't _that _far-fetched was it? And every time you thought things like this, you couldn't help but remember Itachi.

Itachi was your brother's best friend. They did everything together. They were with one another as often as Sasuke and you were together-if not more. And look how that had turned out. A deep frown etched into your face.

You had never, _ever _given it any thought before…but Keitaro had known Itachi better than anyone. Was there even a remote possibility that he had known Itachi was going to exterminate his entire clan? Your stomach churned uneasily at the thought.

How well did you know your older brother? Did you even know him at all? Could it be that he was involved in something terrible-the Uchiha massacre or otherwise? Until now, you'd never even fathomed it, but now…

A twig snapped, causing you to glance up. You blinked in surprise but stayed slouched as all previous thoughts abandoned you. The new arrival glanced up as well, equally surprised to see you. You watched them until they came to a stop in front of the bridge. You were now staring down at him.

"What are you doing here?" you asked curiously.

Sasuke met your gaze. "What are _you _doing here?"

"I asked you first."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. You couldn't help but let a smile quirk onto your lips.

"Where the hell have you been?" you asked, chin still resting on your arms.

"I've been busy," Sasuke replied, hands in the pockets of his shorts.

"I can see that," you teased, lazily indicating the space around him with a hand.

He rolled his eyes again. "Kakashi-sensei was busy today and I decided to take a break."

"And you decided to come here?" your eyebrows rose.

Sasuke turned his head away from you as though embarrassed. Still looking in that direction, he moved on. "What about you; aren't you supposed to be training?"

"Eh," you shrugged, finally standing straight. "I needed a break from Keitaro."

A tiny smirk slipped onto Sasuke's lips. He looked back to you with his usual cocky expression. "And you decided to come here?"

You only smiled in response. Turning your back on Sasuke, you leaned your lower back against the stone wall of the bridge. You leaned your forearms against the tops of the walls, looking at the forestry around you. "It reminds me of simpler times."

You heard Sasuke move and glanced over your shoulder. Surprised, you turned completely around. Sasuke was ducking beneath the bridge. You scurried off the bridge and walked to the opposite side from Sasuke. You ducked beneath the stone bridge.

The area beneath the bridge was a lot tighter than you remembered. You had to crouch now to avoid hitting your head. Sasuke was kneeling on the damp ground, staring at a sketch on the stone wall. You met Sasuke in the middle; your knees almost touching. The drawing from, what seemed like decades ago, was still there. The weather hadn't been able to penetrate the wall and the drawing looked almost as fresh as the day that you and Sasuke had made it.

You let out a soft laugh. "We were so stupid back then."

"No," Sasuke said, prompting you to glance at him. He was watching the drawing. "Just you."

Your eye twitched. Using your left hand, yu shoved the boy in the shoulder. Sasuke wobbled unsteadily but regained composure. Glaring at you, he shoved you back. Your right hand slapped onto the ground, keeping you from falling over.

"You're a jerk," you glared.

"Don't be such a baby."

You shook the dark hair out of your eyes. Glancing around you noticed a small, white stone on the ground. Sasuke watched you curiously as you put the stone to the wall. Sasuke watched over your shoulder as you sketched.

Smiling, finished, you sat back on your heels. Beneath the original stick figures, you had drawn a new one. This one was taller than the other two. On the head, you had drawn a sitting duck with its behind feathers spiked. You smirked as Sasuke glared over at you.

"Hey!" you cried as Sasuke ripped the stone out of your hand.

You watched cautiously, yet slightly amused as Sasuke drew his own picture. Your jaw dropped as Sasuke drew you with your long hair down to your mid-back, but also with donkey ears and a tail. You scoffed, head locking Sasuke from behind. "You're such an ass!"

Sasuke struggled but you held tight. Finally, Sasuke brought his hands to yours, trying to pry your hands away. As you held steady, Sasuke attempted to pull you forward. Your cheek brushed up against his.

The air around you suddenly changed. It was like the atmosphere was charged with electricity and it suddenly felt hard to breath. Your mind was dizzy and your breathing was suddenly shallow. You tried to breath normally, but it seemed the more that you tried, the louder your irregular breathing was to your ears.

What was this feeling? Why were you feeling it? Could Sasuke feel this too? Was there some sort of genjutsu on the area? No, that made no sense. You pulled away from Sasuke.

The minute your skin parted from Sasuke's, it was like your entire world snapped back to normal. The static-feeling of the air dissipated and it was back to the musty, dank air beneath the bridge. You breathing slowly returned to normal.

'What's…what's happening to me…?'

Getting to your knees, you crawled out from beneath the bridge, getting to your feet once you were in the open again. You took in several deep breaths. Noise from behind you drew your attention and you looked over your shoulder to see Sasuke coming out from beneath the bridge as well. Your eyes locked.

"I…I have to go," you felt like you were gasping out; but thank god, your voice sounded normal to your ears.

Sasuke's eyebrows crinkled together in question. Before he could reply, you turned on your heel, walking away from Sasuke as fast as your feet would allow. You traveled a good ten feet before your brain clicked and your feet came to a stop. You pivoted to see Sasuke where you had left him, his eyes following you.

Slowly, you raised an arm above your head in a wave. You didn't know what else to do. "By the way…happy birthday."

With that, you turned on your heel and scurried out of the forest, leaving Sasuke behind.

* * *

You sighed as your bare feet brushed against the brown carpeting in the hallway. It had been far too emotional of a day and all you could think about was sleep. You made your way down the hallway to the last door on the left and entered the well-lit room.

Kiba glanced up from his spot on the bed. He had been sitting up, milling over a book that lay open on the black bedspread. He smiled upon seeing you and snapped the book closed. You let out an audible sigh as you walked over, plopping yourself down on the bed. It was placed against a wall so you scooted back on the bed to rest your back against the wall.

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

"No," you closed your eyes. When you reopened them, you found Kiba watching you intensely. You smiled slightly. "I'm okay, don't worry."

Kiba seemed unconvinced. "Is it about Keitaro?"

You stared at Kiba for a long moment before answering. "Kind of."

"Your match?" Kiba tried again.

You sighed, shaking your head. Sliding against the wall, you landed on the mattress on your shoulder. Lazily, you flopped yourself forward so that your face now rested on the other pillow on Kiba's bed. You felt the weight on the other side of the mattress shift and you moved your head so that only one side was lying on the pillow. This way, you could see Kiba.

Every night for the past two weeks you had stayed at Kiba's house. Although you couldn't explain it, you felt somehow safer here. Maybe it was the fact that you had a trusted, human body lying beside you that made you feel somewhat more comfortable. It wasn't like Natsuo was going to sneak into your own bedroom and kidnap you…well actually, that was exactly what you were worried about. Staying with Kiba quenched your fears.

Now Kiba was resting on his side so that his front was facing you. His jacket was off and now he wore a black t-shirt and a pair of gray shorts. Akamaru was already asleep in his doggy bed on the other side of the room. You had a change of clothes here, but you didn't feel like getting up to change. You didn't feel like getting up period.

"You're going to win, Nakao," Kiba finally said, his eyes boring into your face.

"What makes you so sure of that?" you asked, trying to sound playful, but failing miserably.

Kiba's face was nothing but seriousness. "Because you have to. If you die…"

Kiba trailed off, his face looking particularly troubled. Your eyebrows crinkled in confusion and you slowly lifted your upper body until you were resting most of your weight on one shoulder.

Kiba glanced away, looking almost embarrassed. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Your life would be a hell of a lot less dramatic," you offered, trying to tease him. He wasn't going for it.

Kiba sighed and reached to his left wrist. You watched as he removed a bracelet resting there. You knew the bracelet well enough. Kiba's older sister had given it to him when he had graduated to genin. It was a simple black band with three beads taking up one section. One big bead rested between two smaller ones. The two smaller beads were a dark orange color and had dark red slits running down the middle, looking like animal eyes. The bead in the middle was metallic and was melded into the shape of the Inuzuka Clan symbol.

Your eyes widened as Kiba grabbed your left wrist; the one that wasn't attached to the arm holding you up. Kiba slipped the bracelet on and glanced back to your face. "I'm going to lend this to you for good luck, but be sure to bring it back to me."

You felt your heart softened. The concern radiating off of your best friend made your heart want to melt. Maybe it was the mass amount of emotions swirling around in your chest causing you to find this the nicest thing ever, but you did. You sat up, awkwardly wrapping Kiba in a hug due to the position he was in.

"You know I love you, right Kiba?" you smiled as you released the boy, gazing down at the bracelet on your wrist.

Kiba didn't answer you at first, and you thought nothing of it. You laid down once more, turning your back on Kiba so that you were facing the wall and so you could sleep on your left side. Like every night, you felt Kiba lay down beside you, his presence a comfort to you.

You clapped your hands together once, making the lamp in Kiba's room shut off, casting the entire room in shadow. You closed your eyes, allowing your body to relax. Just before you drifted off into the first stages of sleep, you felt movement on the other side of the bed. Kiba had moved closer to you, enough so that you felt his face only inches from the back of your head. You felt Kiba run a hand through your hair.

"I love you too."

You only smiled to yourself, thanking your lucky stars that you had such a wonderful friend, and let sleep drag you under.


	23. If Today I May Perish

It was another hot day out; and since it was morning, it was very likely to grow scorching around noon. For this reason, you eagerly dashed out of the sun's harmful rays and escaped beneath the large, cement arch in front of you. Although the structure offered shade, it didn't cool you off much and you wiped your perspirating forehead with the back of your wrist. You glanced about yourself.

You had entered into one of the many entryways of the Konoha stadium. Often used for contests or sporting events, today, the Konoha stadium was the battleground of the third exam. The entryway, that was much like a bare lobby, was bustling with people. Citizens and guests of all ages were milling around, buying their tickets to the bloodbath and stopping at vendor carts for popcorn or various other treats.

You rolled your eyes as the smells of the stadium met your nostrils. You found this whole spectacle to be a little crude. And it certainly wasn't an event you thought should allow entrance to anyone under the age of eleven. All these people were here to watch you and the other victors, potentially get killed.

Regardless, here you were, and here you would stay until you had faced your upcoming opponent. You glanced to a far wall where a poster depicted an enlarged bracket system. Your eyes hovered over the names.

'I wish they would have been more specific about where we were supposed to meet.' You thought bitterly.

"Nakao!"

You turned, quickly spotting an orange blob trying to push through the throngs of eager patrons. Finally, Naruto pushed through and made a sprint towards you. You stayed where you were but smiled as your teammate stopped before you.

Naruto was still wearing his orange track suit, which you found to be amazing. How was he not dying from heat stroke? You had had to change out of your usual outfit to catch some kind of relief from Konoha summer. You had replaced your black, three-quarter-sleeved shirt with a pastel purple, cotton t-shirt. You wore arm guards just above your wrists that ended at your elbow. Unlike Sasuke's arm guards, yours were skin tight. You had also changed your olive green cargos for black shorts that ended where your kunai holster rested.

"Konichiwa, Naruto," you greeted. It was nice to see a familiar face.

"Look at this place!" Naruto said excitedly, glancing about himself in awe.

You chose not to comment on the matter. "Hey, do you know where we're supposed to go?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, we're supposed to all meet out in the arena," Naruto answered, glancing over his shoulder.

Over the heads of the people you could see another arch like the one you had entered through, that led to the stadium seating. You could see the bright sunlight spilling in through the entryway. You glanced back to Naruto. "Is everyone here already?"

Naruto turned back to you, his face scrunched up in concentration. "I don't really know. I saw a couple of them hanging around."

"Is Sasuke here?" you asked.

"No," Naruto frowned. "I haven't seen him and the tournament is going to start soon. We should probably head down to the arena now."

You followed Naruto, weaving through the crowds of chatting patrons into the hot, sunny air. He led you to a set of stairs that led down to the arena. The whole stadium was set up like a coliseum and the arena at the bottom was just grass and dirt. Trees also decorated the ground. A glance up to the stands revealed that practically all of the seats were packed.

"Do you think he's alright?" you asked Naruto as you traveled, eyes trained on his back.

Naruto didn't even glance over his shoulder. "I really don't know."

A knot twisted in your stomach. You felt a pang of concern. It wasn't like Sasuke to be late, and certainly not to be absent; especially for something so important! The concern didn't ease as you and Naruto stepped down onto the dirt ground.

Indeed, it appeared that all of the participants, excluding Sasuke, were here. They were all standing in a horizontal line, silent and not speaking to one another. Your eyes ran over the faces; Neji, Gaara, Temari, Natsuo, Kankuro, Shino and Shikamaru. Your gazed hovered over Natsuo for a long moment as you and Naruto joined the line, Naruto taking a spot beside Shikamaru and you standing beside Naruto at the end of the line.

"There you guys are," Shikamaru muttered, glancing over at you and Naruto. "Shino's practically a mute and everyone else, well…"

Shikamaru glanced over to the line of opponents as he trailed off, prompting you and Naruto to do so as well. Everyone further down the line looked so serious, and probably with good reason. This wasn't a kiddie contest; lives were on the line here.

The sound of footsteps caught your attention. You glanced up to find the proctor of the third exam walking into the arena. They moved to the center of the arena, at first facing you and your fellow genin before turning his back on you and looking towards the audience. Your jaw dropped.

"Keitaro!" you whispered.

From beside you, Naruto looked from Keitaro's back, to you. "Huh?"

"That's my brother," you said quietly, never taking your eyes off of your brother.

Keitaro still stood in front of your line, back to you. He was facing the audience, standing tall and with confidence. He wore his usual outfit; a long-sleeved black shirt beneath the typical, green, jounin vest with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Despite the heat of the day, he still wore his black pants that looked like Kakashi-sensei's.

'I can't believe this!'

"Thank you, everyone, for coming!" Keitaro's voice sounded amplified and he must have been wearing some kind of microphone. The audience erupted in applause.

You watched Keitaro sourly. Why hadn't he told you he was the proctor for the third exam? He didn't tell you _anything._ Keitaro turned to face the group of genin. You nearly scoffed when he had the nerve to also glance at you casually. You tried to transmit your irritation via telepathic communication; but it didn't seem to be working.

"Neji, Naruto," Keitaro's head moved as he looked to each boy in turn. "Are you both ready?"

A grin spread across Naruto's face and he held up a fist in excitement. "Believe it!"

Keitaro glanced to Neji, who only nodded. Keitaro copied the gesture then addressed your group as a whole. "While each pair of opponents battle, the rest of you will wait on that balcony."

Everyone pivoted to glance at the balcony Keitaro was gesturing to. It was just behind you several yards and was about ten feet up the wall from the ground. You all turned back to Keitaro. He nodded to Neji and Naruto.

"Okay, the two of you stay, everyone else, balcony."

You tried to catch your brother's eye, but he wasn't looking at you anymore. Instead, he had turned to Naruto and Neji who walked towards him. Irritated, you turned your back on Keitaro and began to move with the heard of genin towards the stairs that would lead up to the balcony.

You were the last one to reach the landing and you were glad to see that it was a large, open area. Gaara, Temari and Kankuro occupied one corner of the balcony. Natsuo was leaning against the back wall behind them, hands in his pockets. As you walked onto the landing, his violet-shaded eyes flickered over to you.

You tore your eyes away from him immediately. Trying to ignore his presence, you walked forward to the balcony railing where Shino and Shikamaru were stationed. The two stood several feet away from one another and you chose to walk between them, standing closer to Shikamaru than Shino.

Naruto and Neji stood across from one another, several feet away. Keitaro was standing behind them, his front facing the audience.

"First match: begin!" Keitaro announced, raising an arm before dropping it to his side. He stepped back until he was against the wall beneath the balcony.

Neji immediately slid back into a battle stance. He activated his kekki genki; the Byukagan. Naruto watched Neji carefully for a long moment. The audience was silent, including the group on the balcony. You watched intensely, momentarily forgetting your brother.

Finally, Naruto took two kunais from the holster on his thigh, throwing them straight at Neji. Neji took out his own two kunai. He used one kunai to knock down one of Naruto's. Neji used the hole in the handle of his other kunai to catch Naruto's second kunai by the tip, effectively blocking it. No sooner had he done that when Naruto charged the Hyuuga.

You frowned. 'I know Naruto's always been rash, but is he really not thinking? What in the world would prompt him to charge a _Hyuuga_? Ugh, idiot.'

As you predicted, Neji dodged, catching Naruto from behind and throwing him into the ground. Naruto didn't stay down, however, and hopped back to his feet. He began to send punch after punch at Neji's head, but Neji only dodged repeatedly, smirking like it took no effort. For him, it probably didn't.

"This is useless," Shikamaru muttered from beside you.

Leaning forward, wrists resting on the metal railing, you glanced over to Shikamaru. "What's that?"

Shikamaru's eyes lazily shifted over to you. "He's going to keep charging him; the worst thing you can do is charge a Hyuuga."

Your lips twisted into a frown because you knew Shikamaru was right. Neji's Byukagan allowed him to see the chakra points in someone's body. By hitting those points, Neji was able to cut the flow of chakra throughout the body. As you watched, Neji began to do just that.

'Oh no…Naruto…' your eyebrows quivered in concern as Neji hit Naruto several times, cutting off chakra flow.

"This isn't over yet!" Naruto announced, bringing his fingers together in a handsign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke disappeared, four more Narutos stood in the arena. Each Naruto took out a kunai and leapt towards Neji. Neji leapt back, dodging the Naruto clones. He was so busy with the clones, however, that when he turned his head to the left, he had missed the real Naruto. Before Neji could react, Naruto's foot connected with Neji's chin. Neji, surprised, flew backwards, hitting the ground.

"Yes!" you whispered, pulling back a fist in triumph.

'Naruto might have a shot to win this! If Sasuke were here-'

Your thoughts trailed off. You had completely forgotten about the fact that Sasuke was still missing. Your eyebrows knitted together. Sasuke's fight with Gaara was next, and if he didn't show, he would be automatically disqualified. Where could he be?

_Your arms were loaded with paper bags, which were packed full of groceries. When Keitaro had given you a break from training this afternoon, you had been excited. You were exhausted and worn out and you visualized a bath tub full of steaming hot water. Those thoughts disappeared once Keitaro assigned you to go shopping instead._

_You complained in your head as you made your way home. It was late afternoon now and the sun was beginning to drift lower in the sky. Your arms were sore from just carrying these bags full of groceries. After Keitaro was done with your training, you probably wouldn't even be able to lift your chopsticks._

_"Hey! Hey, Nakao!"_

_"Huh?" you stopped walking, pivoting to look behind you. You smiled. "Naruto!"_

_The blonde ran up to you, waving and grinning. You couldn't move any muscles but the ones in your face so you only continued to smile. You hadn't seen any of your teammates for the past week and a half._

_"Hey Nakao! I haven't seen you around!"_

_"Yeah, I've been pretty busy training," you shrugged, the paper of your bags rustling as they brushed against your arms._

_Naruto grinned, shoving a thumb into his chest. "Me too! I've been working my butt off!"_

_"Oh yeah? Who have you been training with? Kakashi-sensei?"_

_Naruto's lips puckered in a pout. He crossed his arms sourly. "No, he's training Sasuke."_

_You blinked. "Really? And he won't train you too?"_

_"No," Naruto huffed._

_"Sharingans only, huh? Well whatever, I'm sure you're doing just fine without them," you smiled encouragingly._

_Naruto's face brightened. "You bet I am! I'm going to win!"_

_"You'd better," you smiled mischievously. "Because if you lose, you owe me a bowl of ramen."_

'If Sasuke's with Kakashi-sensei, that would definitely explain his tardiness.' you deduced. 'But still…this is an important event. What the hell is going on?'

You suddenly realized you had been so caught up in your thoughts you had forgotten to pay attention to Naruto's match. As your eyes refocused on Neji and Naruto, you wish you had. Both shinobi were on their feet, but Naruto's balance was wobbly. He brought the back of his fist to his face, probably wiping away blood from his chin.

The two exchanged several words that you couldn't hear from your position. Whatever had been said, clearly irritated Neji, for the boy slid back fiercely. He readied his stance and you sucked in a breath of air; you knew what would happen. Neji rushed forwards, plowing a hand into Naruto's chest. Naruto cried out, flying backwards until he hit the ground, hard, on his back.

You watched with wide eyes as Neji turned to look at your brother. Why? He was probably telling your brother the match was over. You bit your bottom lip. 'No…no, Naruto, get up!'

As though hearing your thoughts, Naruto slowly began to get to his feet. A grin broke out across your face. In surprise, Neji whirled around, stunned to see Naruto on his feet. You were stunned too; you had no idea how Naruto was withstanding Neji's kekki genki. How could Naruto still move when all of his chakra points had been shut off? You watched carefully as the two exchanged words once more.

"Naruto's in way over his head; he should just give up," Shikamaru suddenly said from beside you.

"What?" you glanced over in surprise, standing straight. "No! Why would he do that?"

"If he continues, he'll be killed," Shikamaru looked over to you meaningfully.

Choosing not to comment, you chewed on your bottom lip. Looking away from Shikamaru, you turned your attention back to the match. Naruto put his fingers into a handseal as Neji stood across from him. Your eyebrows crinkled in confusion. What was Naruto trying to do? He couldn't pull out chakra if his points had been shut off!

Before your very eyes, however, rocks on the ground began to shiver. Slowly they lifted off of the ground and soon, so did bigger rocks until Naruto was surrounded with swirling rocks and debris. Neji watched with wide eyes, mouth slightly open.

'This-this can't be!' You, too, watched with wide eyes.

With agility you didn't think Naruto had had in the beginning of the fight, Naruto rushed Neji. Before meeting him, he jumped into the air. Naruto took out several shuriken, throwing them straight towards Neji. Neji's eyes narrowed and he spun around rapidly, creating a barrier with his chakra that deflected the weapons. As Neji stopped spinning, the barrier disappeared and he took out several kunai from the holster on his thigh. He threw them towards Naruto.

You watched as Naruto dodged each of the kunai with ease, never slowing his pursuit on Neji as he fell from the sky. Neji barely dodged as Naruto came down on him, fist pulled back. Neji stumbled backwards as Naruto's fist dove into the ground. He quickly stood, whirling around to face Neji.

Neji clenched his teeth together and took out a kunai. Naruto took out one of his own and both boys threw their weapons at one another. The kunais canceled each other out. Both boys ran forward, catching their kunais and flew away from each other, skidding back on their feet, kicking up dust.

Putting away their kunais, both shinobi concentrated on powering up their chakra. They finished at the same time and rushed one another. You held your breath as the two met and a large flash of light engulfed the arena. The light itself seemed to explode, sending debris flying in all directions. You quickly squeezed your eyes shut, turning your head away from the arena to save your face from any flying debris.

When you turned back to the match, the debris was beginning to settle, revealing the outcome of the attack. Two, large craters were now visibly on the arena floor. Slowly, from one hole, a hand reached out, seemingly grasping at nothing. Your heart suddenly began to pound in your chest and you gripped the railing in front of you. Your heart only sunk when Neji crawled out from the crater.

A visibly wounded Neji shakily got to his feet. Wiping at his chin, Neji stumbled towards the other crater. You now could see orange clothing and saw that Naruto was lying in his crater. Breathing heavily, it appeared that Neji had begun to speak when, suddenly, the ground directly in front of Neji began to shake. The ground crumbled inward and Naruto flew from the newly formed hole.

"Naruto!" you gasped excitedly.

Naruto flew out of the ground, his right hand clenched into a fist. It drove into Neji's chin with such a force that blood flew from his mouth. You watched in awe as Neji flew backwards, hitting the ground on his back. Silence passed through the entire stadium as Naruto slowly walked over to where Neji now lay.

"Incredible," you whispered, until Shikamaru glanced over at you, then you spoke longer. "Naruto managed to use a clone to trick Neji while he hid under ground. All while Neji had deactivated his chakra points. I don't get it."

When you glanced over at Shikamaru, he only shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. You glanced back to the arena in time to see Keitaro walk into the open. He stood over Neji before glancing to Naruto and then to the crowd.

Keitaro grabbed Naruto's left wrist, raising his arm vertically into the air. "Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

Stunned silence followed the announcement. You had even lost yourself for a moment. You shook your head then smiled. You leaned your upper body over the metal railing. "Way to go, Naruto!"

As Naruto glanced up at you, the rest of the stadium erupted in cheers and applause. Confused, Naruto moved his gaze from you, to all around the stadium. He seemed stunned at first as the cheers rained down on him, but it finally began to sink in. Naruto began to laugh, running around the stadium, waving to the audience.

'Incredible, he still has energy.' You watched Naruto.

After several minutes, the cheering began to die down. Keitaro stepped over to Naruto, directing him back to the balcony. Meanwhile, medical ninja had rushed out onto the field, collecting Neji on a stretcher. The sound of pounding footsteps, brought yours and Shikamaru's attention to the stairwell.

Naruto bounded onto the landing as excited as ever. You grinned as he ran over to you. "I won! I won!"

"Good work," Shikamaru congratulated as Naruto came to a halt in front of you, patting him on the back.

You playfully slugged Naruto in the upper arm. "Glad to see you won in a cooler way than you did during the preliminaries."

Naruto smiled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

_"Hey! When is the next match going to begin!"_

_"Bring on the next match!"_

You, Naruto and Shikamaru all blinked, turning your focus to the stands. The audience was angry, shouting for the next match to begin. The match between Gaara and Sasuke.

"Sasuke…" you whispered, suddenly remembering the Uchiha. You looked over to Naruto, concerned. "Sasuke's not here and it's his turn."

Naruto's frown probably matched yours. As the audience continued to protest, you glanced down to the arena. You blinked, stepping closer to the railing and watching closely. Keitaro was standing in the middle of the arena, conversing with another jounin. If memory served you correctly, the other jounin appeared to be one of the Hokage's favored escorts. You watched curiously as Keitaro nodded.

As the other jounin quickly exited the arena, Keitaro faced the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, the examinee for the next match has yet to arrive! Therefore, the match will be delayed and we will move on to the next match."

You laughed in relief. "That lucky bastard. Only Uchiha Sasuke could pull that off."

You vaguely noticed Naruto nod from the corner of your eye.

"Next match: Kankuro and Aburame Shino. Come down," Keitaro called, pivoting to face the balcony.

"Examiner, I give up!"

Your head, along with Shikamaru's and Naruto's, whipped over to look at Kankuro. Even Shino glanced over in surprise.

"I quit! Go to the next match!" Kankuro repeated.

Protests roared from the stands. Angry patrons demanded the blood-shedding battles that many of them had paid to see. Keitaro, too, was gazing up at the balcony, his lips stretched into a thin line. You knew that look. The look was one of accusation and you glanced back to Kankuro. Keitaro clearly thought something deeper was behind Kankuro's forfeiture.

"Kankuro has given up; Shino wins by default," Keitaro finally called out, seemingly hesitantly tearing his gaze from Kankuro. Instead, his vision turned to you. "Next match: Makase Nakao and Makase Natsuo."

Your muscles tensed up. In all the activity, you had completely forgotten about your match. How was it here already? How had your match gone from fourth to second? You felt Naruto and Shikamaru glanced over to you. You met their gaze and shakily smiled; no reason to show them that you were worried about your match.

You turned away from them, about to make way for the stairwell. You took several steps before **BOOM**!

You stopped walking, whipping your head to the left to look down at the arena. That's where the loud noise had come from. You didn't see much, however, because as soon as you looked over, an enormous amount of wind swept over you, threatening to knock you flat on your back. You threw an arm over your eyes, turning your back to the wind and bracing yourself.

The strong wind lasted several countable moments before dying down. As it did, you, and the rest of the genin on the balcony, looked curiously down at the arena. A smile lit up on your face. Standing beside Keitaro was Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, standing back to back. Green leaves were swirling around them, fluttering to the ground.

Keitaro smirked. "Uchiha Sasuke; fashionably late."

Sasuke glanced up, meeting your brother's gaze. Movement from beside you distracted you. You glanced over to see Natsuo calmly walking towards the stairwell. You watched him disappear before glancing back to the arena. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were no longer there. He would probably fight after you.

Training your gaze on the stairwell, your resolve hardened. You made your way over, descending the staircase. The staircase was covered on all sides and it was dimmer in here and just slightly cooler. The staircase was not just a straight route but had four small landings. You stepped onto the first landing, rounding the corner. Two more landings were below, but you stopped. Standing two landings away from you, was Natsuo and Sasuke. They stood shoulder to shoulder, Sasuke facing up the staircase, and Natsuo facing down. Their heads were bowed and they were murmuring to one another. You obviously couldn't see Natsuo's face, but you could see Sasuke's. Through the shadows casted on his face, you could see pure anger and hatred. You breathing slowed; what were they talking about?

After a very long moment, Sasuke raised his head. You realized you had been holding your breath when Sasuke's eyes locked with yours. You had meant to gasp in your throat, but you realized you couldn't. You let out a slow breath of air, all the while, watching Sasuke. At that moment, Natsuo moved, casually continuing his journey down the staircase.

You put a foot on the next step and you found yourself descending the staircase. At the same time, Sasuke ascended. The two of you met on the landing that had been between your before; facing the same way he and Natsuo had. The only difference was, you turned to look at Sasuke.

"I don't think you should hang out with Kakashi-sensei anymore if you're going to start picking up his bad habits," you said seriously.

Sasuke slowly turned his head to look at you. You waited for 'you're an idiot', if not some other smartass comment, but it never came. Instead he asked you a question quietly. "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?"

You watched Sasuke for a long moment before letting out a disbelieving laugh. You glanced down to your feet shaking your head. During the past few weeks, you had spent quite a bit of energy convincing Kiba and Keitaro that you were confident that you were going to win your fight; that you _knew _you were ready. But now, as you stood with Sasuke, you didn't feel the need to lie; didn't _want _to lie.

"No," you said truthfully, still gazing down at your feet. "All I know is that only one of us will walk out of this stadium alive. Among the many things that I don't know-I don't know who is going to be the one to walk out of here."

There, you had said it out loud. Of course, it hadn't made you feel any better. In fact, you felt even more anxious now. Your right hand found the bracelet resting on your left wrist. Your fingers fiddled with the cool, metal charm; tracing the clan symbol.

Finally, you glanced up to look at Sasuke. He wasn't watching you, however. You were very confused to see that his eyes were focused on your left wrist. You glanced down, not having been consciously aware you had been tracing the charm on the bracelet.

"What is that?"

You glanced back up to Sasuke. He was watching your face now, eyes scanning you carefully, like they were examining you. You glanced at the bracelet quickly once more before looking up again, the slightest smile quirked on your lips. "Kiba gave this to me, for good luck."

Muscles twitched in Sasuke's face. It almost seemed like he wanted to say something, but refused to. Instead, Sasuke glanced away from you, turning his attention to the stairs ahead of him.

"Good luck," Sasuke said blandly after a pregnant pause. Without a glance over at you, he continued to climb the stairs. You pivoted to watch Sasuke ascend the staircase. He turned the corner and was lost to your vision. Slowly, you looked forward, walking down the last flight of steps.

As you stepped into the arena, the blinding sun pelted its rays at you. You threw a hand to your forehead to cover your eyes, squinting forward. Keitaro and Natsuo were standing in the center of the arena, waiting for you. The two appeared to be watching one another. Keitaro's eyes were narrowed, his cheeks flushed red like he was trying to hold back anger. Natsuo, on the other hand, was smiling cockily.

As you stepped up to the pair, the two males glanced over at you. Keitaro's facial expression changed as he took in the sight of you. His features softened and you could practically see the concern spilling from him. Ignoring Natsuo's watchful gaze, you stepped directly in front of Keitaro.

"No matter what happens, do not interfere with this match," you stared directly into Keitaro's eyes.

"What?" he seemed taken aback.

"Do not stop this match; do not intervene. Promise me, Keitaro."

Keitaro's coffee-colored eyes watched your stubborn face intensely. You could see the internal struggle going on in his mind. You knew he would listen to you; he had to, it was his duty and Keitaro always carried out his duties no matter what.

Keitaro didn't need to say anything. By the look of defeat plastered on your elder brother's face, you knew he had conceded. You nodded to him in acknowledgement and turned to face Natsuo, standing several feet away from him.

"You're going to regret doing that," Natsuo smirked.

You said nothing, only continued to watch Natsuo with focused eyes. A moment of silence drifted between the two of you until Keitaro finally regained himself. "Next match: begin."

You glanced at Keitaro as he backed away from you to the wall beneath the balcony. His eyes never left you. You tore your gaze away, staring down Natsuo.

"Hello, little cousin," Natsuo grinned wickedly.

You cringed on the inside, but showed nothing on the outside. For just a second, your eyes flickered to the vertical scar on the left side of Natsuo's face, which was clearly visible now. You returned your eyes to his.

"You're going to die here," you said simply.

Humor decorated your cousin's face. "Oh Nakao, you're so much like your brother. The only difference is, is that he might actually be able to back up those words."

"Is that a challenge?"

Natsuo smirked. Without speaking, he slid a foot back just a slight ways and positioned it perpendicular to the other one.

'This is it,' you coaxed yourself. You lightly touched the bracelet on your wrist. 'This isn't just a battle for my life. I'm fighting to see Keitaro again, and Kiba, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Sasuke.'

You looked over your shoulder to the balcony. You could see the bodies of the genin, all lined up against the railing, staring down at the match. You could pick out Sasuke and Naruto, but were unable to see their facial expressions from here. You looked back to Natsuo.

"Ladies first," Natsuo offered smugly.

You shrugged. "Okay, go ahead."

Irritation flashed across Natsuo's face. Never taking his eyes from yours, he began a string of handsigns. You copied the same handsigns, feeling the sensation of your kekki genki rushing over you. Now that your bloodline technique was activated, not only could you see your own wind flowing gently from your skin, you could see Natsuo's too. However, while your wind was a translucent blue shimmer, Natsuo's was purple.

Natsuo began to mold his wind, which you watched carefully. His chakra turned into what looked like spears and with a blast, he shot them straight towards you. He was testing you. You built a wall of wind which the spears hit and simply disappeared into. You let down the wall. This was going to be a boring-looking battle for those up in the stands.

You expected Natsuo to continue an onslaught of wind-based attacks, but to your surprise, Natsuo took off at a sprint towards you. You gasped. His speed could rival Keitaro's! You took a step back, clenching your teeth together.

Natsuo jumped into the air as he reached her, swinging a kick at your head. As he did so, you could feel a rush of air come at your face. You felt a sting on your cheek before you pulled up a wall of wind again. As Natsuo's foot connected with your wall, your wind swirled around him, trapping him in a vortex.

You constricted the flow of your air, meaning to squeeze Natsuo like a boa constrictor might. But Natsuo was fast. With a large burst of energy, he managed to expand his wind around him, pushing against your wind. As the two collided, there was a loud howling noise and a blast of wind that swept over the entire arena, nearly blowing you off of your feet.

The force of the wind lifted you off of your feet, but you back flipped, landing several feet away. Natsuo, too, made a clean landing. Breathing heavily, more so from adrenaline than being out of breath, you brought a hand to your stinging cheek. When you withdrew it, you found your fingers spotted with crimson. Like a knife, Natsuo's wind had actually sliced open your skin.

You glanced back to Natsuo; he was analyzing you carefully. Catching Natsuo by surprise was going to be virtually impossible; he was able to see your wind. On the flip side, you could also see his. But Natsuo was bound to be far more advanced with his kekki genki than yours.

"You know, Nakao," Natsuo started, catching your attention. "I think our audience is going to get awfully bored just watching us throw invisible air at one another."

Your eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Natsuo grinned wickedly, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Let's give them some action."

You could see and feel Natsuo drawing his chakra. His wind began to billow from his body, swirling around him, climbing higher and higher into the sky. He was creating a twister; and a very large one at that. Your breath caught in your throat. He was going to kill the entire audience!

You fearfully glanced to the stand. There were hundreds of people here! Innocent citizens, children, ninja from all the nations and their Kages. You glanced back to Natsuo. He was gazing at you through his swirling twister. With a large blast, his twister broke free from his flow of chakra, headed independently straight towards the stands.

Your eyes widened; you had seconds to act. You drew a huge portion of chakra forward, forcing wind from every open orifice on your body. As quickly as you could manage, your chakra shot out from both sides of you; a steady, rushing wall as tall as Natsuo's twister. It ran the edges of the stands, stopping the twister from hitting the audience.

The twister collided with your wall, threatening to blow apart the section of stands in front of it. You summoned up more chakra, doing so with a cry. This was costing you far more chakra than you had hope to lose so early in the fight. The speed at which you were forcing your wind out from your body was cutting at your skin and it began to sheen with crimson blood.

With the new surge of chakra, your wall bowed outward like a hand, swallowing up Natsuo's twister. You could immediately feel the impact and it nearly knocked you off your feet. But you squeezed your eyes closed, biting down hard on your lip. You cried out in effort as your wind completely consumed the twister. You released your wall, falling to your knees as your kekki genki shut down on you, like a reboot.

Your palms slapped onto the ground as your upper body heaved. You heard footsteps nearing you. You glanced up in time to see a hand reach for you. Natsuo's hand took a fistful of your shirt collar, hauling you off the ground. You got a brief glance at Natsuo's eyes before he chucked you away from him like a bag of trash.

You flew backwards until you finally struck the ground. Your head smacked against the hard, dirt ground and you rolled over onto your side, trying to suck in the air that had escaped your lungs. A pair of feet stepped into your vision. You glanced up. Natsuo's snug face greeted you.

"You're so weak," Natsuo sneered. "Surely, Orochimaru-sama sees how useless you are."

You coughed, never taking your eyes off of your cousin. Your head was pounding, pulsating. 'Sees? Is he here?'

"Orochimaru saw me fight during the second exam. Apparently he thinks I'm still worth more than you."

"What?" Natsuo hissed, his face darkening.

"You said it yourself; he wanted to give _me _the curse mark, not you," your eyes flickered to the scar on his face, back to his eyes. "All he felt you deserved was that scar, wasn't it?"

Rage exploded in Natsuo's eyes. Their shade of violet darkened by several shades. You swallowed against your throat but kept your gaze steady.

"You little bitch," Natsuo whispered. "I got this because of _you_. You and your brother disgraced me!"

"What the hell are you talking about? We've never even met you!"

Natsuo nearly snorted. "Keitaro doesn't tell you anything, does he?"

"What…?"

Natsuo's eyes flashed. "He didn't tell you how your parents actually died, did he?"

Your eyes widened.


	24. I Hadn't Said Goodbye

A gust of wind passed by, moving Natsuo's bangs over his eyes. Your own hair swirled around your shoulders. You were still partially lying on the ground, your left arm holding your upper body up. It was beginning to hurt now due to the small rocks on the ground digging into your skin.

"What are you talking about?" you whispered, wide eyes shaking, "How do you know about my parents!?"

Natsuo threw his head back, letting out a joyous laugh. It was like someone had told him a hilarious joke. He looked back to you, plum-shaded eyes shining. "You stupid girl. Because…I was there."

Your blood chilled in your veins. It felt like someone had dunked your body in a vat of ice. You couldn't raise your voice above a whisper. "What?"

"I was twelve," Natsuo's eyes gazed into the distance, recalling the memory. A smile slipped onto his lips as he recounted his tale in a trance. "It was my first mission from Orochimaru-sama. He said that traitors had fled to Konoha some years back. He said he had been waiting for me to become strong enough-this was my test to prove my worth. So I went to Konoha with two others. They disguised themselves as foreign ninja and delivered a fake mission order to the Hokage. As planned, he sent the two traitors on the pretend mission- and we were there waiting.

You should have seen the look on their faces when we intercepted them! They _were _pretty strong though; killed my teammates nearly immediately. But Orochimaru-sama prepared me well."

Natsuo seemed to snap out of his trance. Slowly, he brought his gaze down to you. A grin spread across his face. You couldn't speak. Your mouth only hung open, your mind still working on processing the information.

"That's when I found out about my cousins. Keitaro and Nakao, Orochimaru-sama told me, were the children of the traitors. He wanted them dead too, just to tie up loose ends. He was making an example of the four of them, you see. This was the simple part of the mission: kill an eight-year old girl and her older brother," Natsuo's face suddenly darkened as he watched you. The tone of his voice changed completely. "That's how you ruined my life. I set your house aflame in the middle of the night and returned home. I was praised by Orochimaru-sama…until a year later when we learned that you and your brother were still alive; that you had managed to escape. I had failed my master and had to endure the punishment because of you!"

Your eyes wandered to the scar on the left side of Natsuo's face. From the length of it, you guessed it had come from a sword of some kind. The scar tissue hinted that the cut had been anything but shallow.

"I had to spend the next five years trying to prove myself to Orochimaru-sama! The entire time that I waited, I was nothing but a waste of space to him. You ruined my life!"

Your mind was whirling, your skin covered in goose bumps.

_The smoke was everywhere. It clouded out your vision, making you momentarily blind. Breathing was becoming hard too. Every time you inhaled, you took in smoke, causing you to cough so hard your throat was beginning to hurt._

_"Nakao!"_

_A sense of relief rushed over you. "Keitaro!"_

_You still couldn't see anything, but you could hear footsteps. They were bounding towards your closed door. You coughed again, waiting as something smashed through the wooden door, sending splinters of wood spraying in all directions. You opened watery eyes to see a dark figure walk into the room._

_"Keitaro!" you coughed, getting to your feet._

_From somewhere to your right, a window shattered inward, making you cry out in fear. You felt a strong pair of arms grab hold of you._

_You were suddenly running, trying to keep up with your elder brother. You didn't know where you were traveling, but he seemed to be able to navigate his way through the smoky hallways. You coughed, squeezing your eyes shut as the black smoke stung at your eyes._

You stared up at Natsuo's angry expression. As you did, you could feel rage bottling up in your chest. This boy had taken away your parents and your home. He had ripped apart your family, forced you to grow up as an orphan.

"_I _ruined _your _life?" you whispered, eyes narrowed.

You let your anger consume you. Your chakra fed off of your rage, it becoming like fuel. Quick as lightning you were on your knees and then diving at Natsuo's midsection. His eyes widened as you tackled him to the ground.

"You killed my parents you son of a bitch!" you screamed, punching Natsuo in the jaw.

Natsuo took the hit and several droplets of blood leaked onto his lips. Before you could hit him again, his eyes flashed and he grabbed you by the shoulders. He flipped you over so now he sat atop of you and you lay on the ground.

Natsuo reached for his kunai holster, retrieving a kunai. He thrust it towards your throat. Your hand whipped out, catching Natsuo's wrist. He pushed against you, his kunai shaking as he attempted to reach you. You pushed back as hard as you could.

Finally, Natsuo broke through, driving his kunai towards your neck. You moved your head as far away as possible and Natsuo's kunai dug into the ground. You took advantage of the moment and curled your knees beneath him and kicking him off of you.

Natsuo flew backward but he placed a palm on the ground before he hit, causing him to do a hand-stand. From there he pushed himself off, landing cleanly on his feet. You scrambled to your feet, breathing heavily.

You glanced past Natsuo a ways to Keitaro. He was standing rigid against the wall, his hands balled into fists at his side. You glanced back to Natsuo, your right hand wandering to your left wrist. Your fingers found the cool, metal charm of the Inuzuka clan symbol. Somehow, it shot a moment of comfort through you.

"You're going to lose, Nakao," Natsuo taunted. "I'm going to kill you in this arena. I hope you said goodbye  
to your loved ones."

"Don't be delusional," you glared. "You couldn't kill me when I was eight, what makes you think you can kill me now?"

Fire roared to life in his eyes. "Your brother can't save you this time. Your power is _nothing _compared to mine!"

Natsuo's fingers came together in handsigns. You quickly copied. As wind erupted from the both of you, dirt lifted off the ground, swirling around and mimicking a sand storm. It was hard to see through the flying debris, but thanks to the faint glow of Natsuo's chakra, you could pinpoint his location.

You saw a shadow emerging from Natsuo, traveling through the dirt. Your eyes narrowed, until the shadow became clear. You gasped, dodging out of the way as a boulder the size of your upper body attempted to slam into your head.

You stumbled to your left, directing your wind as you did so. Like a claw, your wind wrapped around a tree and you tore it from the ground. Directing it at Natsuo, you hurled it straight for him. He, however, creating a swirling vortex as a shield, chopping the tree into pieces.

You coughed, your lungs craving for a clean air. With wind swirling around you, it kept most debris from actually hitting you, but it still affected you none-the-less.

'Long-ranged attacks aren't going to work; we're just going to tire each other out.'

Taking in a deep breath, you ran forwards. The closer you got to Natsuo, the more effort it took to run at him. His wind was powerful as it pulsated from him. . From your right, a massive blast of wind struck your body, sending you flying away from Natsuo.

You hit the ground, rolled and jumped back to your feet. You breathed heavily, concentrating on your chakra. As your wind swirled around you, you preformed another set of handsigns. Taking in a deep breath of dirty air, you ran forward into Natsuo's dirt storm.

His wind pushed against you, trying to push you off of your feet. You struggled forward as far as you could, only reaching where you had prior; but that was close enough. You let out the air you had been holding and a spark flew from your lips.

Fire roared to life all around you. It swirled around your body and around the vicinity of the arena, reaching high into the sky as it fed off of yours and Natsuo's wind. The heat itself was almost suffocating and sweat immediately began to drip from your skin. With a cry of effort, you pushed out a fresh wave of chakra.

The fire flared, like it would if someone had squirted lighter fluid into it. You couldn't see Natsuo through the flames, but you thought you heard a yell. Moments later, you felt Natsuo's wind die and your fire shrunk to half of its size.

You canceled the fire, keeping a light flow of wind around you. Natsuo still stood across from you, but he was breathing heavily. His blond bangs were sticking to his face from sweat. He was holding his right arm as he glared at you. You stared defiantly back at him.

"Cute trick, Nakao," Natsuo nearly spat, his shoulders heaving up and down.

You swallowed against your throat. You were parched and dehydrated. Soon, you'd run out of water molecules for your chakra to feed off of. But Natsuo had to be draining to. It wasn't a matter of how strong your chakra was, but it came down to simple biology. You both had similar water levels as human beings. That was, unless Natsuo could access the water in his blood stream. But that would be suicidal! Would he really kill himself if it meant bringing you with him. A bead of sweat ran down the side of your face. The answer running through your mind was, yes.

"Do you realize yet, Natsuo, that you are going to die here?" you taunted, speaking loudly.

"You act tough, Nakao, but you are so weak," Natsuo daunted. "I don't even need to kill you to destory you."

Your eyes narrowed.

Natsuo continued. "Just like your parents, you are weak. All I would need to do is break your little heart dear cousin."

"What?" your eyes searched Natsuo's gloating face carefully.

"I could destroy your world so easily. Who should it be, Nakao? Let's see...we've got your doggy friend up in the audience. And your beloved brother over there," his eyes slipped in each direction. A chill ran down your spine. His eyes finally wandered up to the balcony where the other participants waited. "Or should it be Sasuke?"

"Shut up!" you gritted your teeth together, hands clenching into fists at your sides.

Natsuo turned a mocking smile on you. "Well, well, I think we have a winner."

Natsuo began to move in the direction of the balcony, deliberately slowly. You could feel the blinding rage wash over you. The kind where your entire body heated up and your skin turned red. Where your thoughts become unfocused and the normal sounds in your ears were replaced with a high-pitched whine. Your blood was literally heating up in your veins.

You pushed chakra through you. At your feet, you began to form a small twister; the top of which only reached to mid-thigh. You stepped into it.

Your body hovered off the ground like you were standing on a cloud. You built the twister up until you were in the center as it reached to your diaphragm. Your hands slid to the daggers on your weapon belt. You exerted a blast of chakra.

You accelerated forward at an incredible speed. You were rushing towards Natsuo, catching up to him in mere seconds. You clutched the handles of your daggers tightly and leapt at Natsuo.

Natsuo, completely caught by surprise, whirled around, eyes immediately calculating. But you were already on top of him. Because he had moved to look at you, your left blade missed its intended target. Your right blade, however, made contact.

The tip of your blade caught Natsuo's left shoulder. From there, it tore diagonally across his chest, ripping through his skin to just under the right side of his ribcage. You landed on your feet, pulling your blade back. Crimson blood stained its shiny blade.

Natsuo stumbled back several steps. His eyes were wide as he stared down at his chest, like he couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Blood was spreading from the wound, staining his tan t-shirt.

You stood across from Natsuo, breathing heavily. You gripped your dagger tightly as you glared angrily at Natsuo. He already taken your parents and your home away; you weren't going to let him take Sasuke from you.

Natsuo slowly looked up to you. His eyes were flashing dangerously, his teeth clenching together. "You little bitch!"

You felt Natsuo's chakra pulsate before it seemed to explode, washing over you. The force was strong enough to actually blow your bangs across your face. You clenched your teeth together, pushing chakra forward as well. But Natsuo's was already overpowering yours. Where he had gotten the extra surge of chakra, you had no idea. You were feeling weary from dehydration.

Natsuo's wind whipped past you, swirling around you, encasing you in a twister. Your hair whipped around your shoulders and face and you glanced about yourself nervously. You pushed your wind outward, trying to push his wind back; but to no avail.

Natsuo's wind spun so rapidly that its howling filled your ears. You gasped; the gasp was sucked right out of your throat. With fear, you realized that Natsuo was attempting to suffocate you.

You could feel Natsuo's chakra seeped into your lungs, threatening to take over your entire being. You tried to push your chakra against his, like a game of 'uncle' but you could feel yourself losing. As the air was sucked from your lungs, you felt dizzy. You couldn't breathe. Your mouth gaped for air like a fish would for water, but none came.

You collapse to your knees. Your eyes watched the swirling wind inthreaded with purple chakra that clouded your vision. Was this going to be the last thing you saw? Would this be the last thing you would hear? Your vision clouded over.

'I'm going to die here...I'm really going to die here. I never...never said goodbye to...to...'

"You know I love you, right Kiba?"

You felt Kiba run a hand through your hair.

"I love you too."

"Keitaro!" you grinned. You dropped your backpack to the floor with a thud, and made a dash to your brother. You plowed into him, wrapping in a hug. He laughed, ruffling your hair.

Since Naruto was several inches shorter than you, when he pumped his fist up, it hit you in the upper back. A domino effect kicked in and you fell forward. Luckily, something caught you. Unluckily, you got caught in the face…by Sasuke's face.

'Sasuke...' you squeezed your eyes shut. 'Shit...we're not even. I still owe him an ass-saving...'

You fell onto your chest. Wheezing as you tried to suck in air.

"You…don't…die…"

Your eyes snapped open. 'No...no not yet, not like this!'

You didn't have time to even try and get your knees. Oxygen was cut off from your brain and lungs; you had seconds. You felt drained, exhausted, but you needed to pull together all of your chakra.

Sasuke struggled but you held tight. Finally, Sasuke brought his hands to yours, trying to pry your hands away. As you held steady, Sasuke attempted to pull you forward. Your cheek brushed up against his.

You squeezed your eyes shut again, pulling your chakra to you. You could feel it flowing through you, flowing from you. It began to concentrate, focus into a single being. Instead of it flowing around your body like normal, it concentrated into a giant orb in front of you.

You pulled out all of the chakra you could without killing yourself. With all of your will, you gave a giant push. The orb blasted forward as one, steady stream. Your shimmering blue chakra cut through Natsuo's purple wall of wind, headed directly for Natsuo.

Rising your head, you looked directly at him. Instead of encasing Natsuo in a swirling vortex, your wind struck him directly in the wound across his chest. It latched on like a leech and you concentrated.

Your wind pulled at Natsuo. Just like Natsuo's wind sucked the air from your lungs, your wind attacked the water in Natsuo's body. As you pushed your wind deeper into Natsuo's wound, the water inside his body began to dry out, your wind attempting to hydrate itself like it would in nature.

Natsuo's eyes widened, but by the time he withdrew his chakra in an attempt to stop your onslaught, it was too late. His swirling vortex retracted away from you; clean air rushed over you. It felt as though you had been covered completely by a blanket for the past hour, and now you were breathing fresh air.

You gulped greedily on the air, wheezing as you attempted to regain your oxygen. You coughed as your arms pushed you up onto your knees. As you did so, you glanced up.

Natsuo's wind had completely disappeared from around him. He only stood where he had been, your wind still sucking him dry. His skin was deathly pale, his face looking bony and ill. Slowly pushing yourself to your feet, you abruptly cut off your wind.

Natsuo swayed dangerously before falling face-first to the ground. Loose dirt rose up around his body from the sheer force of his fall. The stadium was completely silent; noticeable since you had been listening to howling winds.

Your feet made scuffing sounds against the dirt ground as you slowly made your way over to Natsuo. You reached his body, standing a foot away and staring down at him. His body twitched and you watched as he attempted to use his arms to push himself up.

Natsuo looked worse up close. His skin was flakey, peeling with dead skin. His eyes looked sunken in his head and the whites of his eyes were nearly completely yellow. Shakily, he got to his knees.

"You...-"

Before Natsuo could finish whatever he was going to say, you took a step forward, brought back your right hand and slammed the back of your hand into the side of his head. He immediately fell to the side, then onto his back. You walked over to him, not bothering to keep your distance. You stared down at him lethargically. Natsuo's eyes peeled open, gazing up at you.

"I told you you were going to die here," you said. You only sounded tired.

Natsuo wheezed but still glared at you, trying to keep his voice strong. "You are still nothing. You will always be nothing."

You pulled out one dagger, for you had found them before standing up and had replaced them on your weapon belt. "You are nothing. You couldn't even amount to a S-ranked criminal's standards."

You saw hatred flash in Natsuo's eyes. "You are nothing but a fool."

"You're the one lying on the ground," you retorted.

A smirk split into Natsuo's angered face. "You know what this reminds me of, Nakao? This was exactly how the scene looked the day your parents died-except you're playing the role of me."

Anger rushed through you again. Pure hatred flood your being as you glared down at the boy on the ground. You let out a cry of anger, clutching the dagger in your hand. You fell onto the boy, your legs on either side of him. You brought up your dagger, bringing it down in one, swift movement, straight into Natsuo's chest cavity. Blood hit your face.

"Nakao…Mom and Dad are dead."

You let out another cry, pulling your blade out and thrusting it into him again.

"We'll be back in a couple of days."

Again and again you pulled your blade out, always to thrust it once more into Natsuo's chest. Blood was hitting your face, covering your hands but you couldn't stop. You were in a blind fury. Your vision was blurry, your heart racing.

"Nakao!"

The voice cut through your trance. You immediately halted what you were doing. Both of your hands clutched the handle of your dagger; whose hilt was nearly buried in Natsuo's body. Your hands were sheening with crimson blood and it was splattered up your scratched and dirty arms.

Natsuo lay completely still beneath you. His pale face was splattered with blood. His unseeing eyes gazed openly at the blue sky above. His mouth hung slightly open, his lips lacking any color, just like his skin.

Slowly, your hands slipped from your blade, falling to your sides. You gazed down at Natsuo with lack of emotion. You felt neither guilty, nor happy. Suddenly, a sound hit your ears.

You slowly raised your head as applauding and cheers rained down on you. You glanced up and around to find the audience cheering for you, hooting and hollering. Their clapping was thunderous. You only watched them with mouth hanging slightly open.

"Nakao."

Slowly, you glanced over. Keitaro stood on your left, staring down at you. His face was conflicted with emotion, his lips set in a firm line. Slowly, you slid your gaze from him, back to the handle of your dagger sticking out of Natsuo's chest. Grabbing it tightly, you yanked it out.

Wiping your blade clean of blood on Natsuo's shirt, you slowly got to your feet, putting your blade away as you did so. You felt slightly dizzy as you got to your feet, and exhausted, but you stepped away from Natsuo, standing only on one side. Collecting saliva in your mouth, you spit at his body.

"Winner: Makase Nakao!" Keitaro's voice rang out, gaining your attention.

As the crowd continued to cheer, you walked over to him. He stared down at you and you stared up at him. You didn't know what to say to him. Why didn't you tell me? What else haven't you told me? Is my whole life a lie? Do you even really love me?

Instead, you simply said one sentence to your brother. "Take this piece of trash out of here."

Turning your back on your brother, you made your way to the staircase that led up to the balcony where your friends, and enemies, were. Your mind was set on one thing as you reached the stairs, climbing to the first landing. As you stepped onto the first landing, a figure rounded the corner.

You glanced up to see Gaara moving towards you. He did not even look to you, but acted as though you weren't even there. You stepped to the side, allowing him to pass, your eyes following him carefully. He did so without a glance. As he did, a chill ran up your spine. You looked over, watching the frightening boy make his way outside. As you were about to continue up the stairs, another figure came around the corner.

Sasuke stopped on the stair above you, staring down at you. You stared up at him. Finally, Sasuke parted his lips. "You won."

"Of course."

The slightest smirk slipped onto Sasuke's lips. He stepped down, now standing directly next to you. You turned to face one another. Sasuke's eyes seemed to search your face for a moment, before he reached up, towards your face.

A gasp caught in your throat and your heart skipped a beat as Sasuke moved several locks of hair out of your eyes. Your lips parted in surprise.

"Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?" you asked with slight concern as Sasuke's hand dropped back to his side. You couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I plan to win," Sasuke responded simply.

"Of course you do," you rolled your eyes.

Sasuke smirked, beginning to turn away to continue down the steps. You stopped him.

"Wait."

Sasuke had barely turned to face you again when you latched your arms around his shoulders, pulling him against you. You felt Sasuke stiffen as you hugged him but yet, he did not push you away. Perhaps he was in shock.

"Be careful," you whispered into his ear before releasing the boy.

Sasuke stared at you, looking nearly astonished. You only flashed him the smallest smile before turning your back on him, making your way back up the staircase.


	25. Undeterred Persistence

You knocked down a kunai with your dagger and stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding another one. Your eyes snapped to the direction the weapon had come from. On the move, straight towards you, was another ninja, face covered with a gray ski mask. You gripped the handle of your dagger.

The enemy ninja produced a kunai as he met you. The ninja jumped up, gripping his kunai with two hands, before coming down on you with plans to bury that kunai in the top of your skull. Your head snapped upwards and you brought your dagger up, catching the ninja's kunai. The force of his weight forced you to the ground on your back. Here your struggle continued.

You could see the gleam in the enemy ninja's black eyes as he pushed against your weapon. Beneath him, you struggled before pushing chakra into your arms. With a cry, you pushed the ninja away from you, sending him flying backwards. You scrambled to your feet.

Your breathing was labored as the ninja got to his feet. Your attention was split as the ninja turned a glare on you. It's like your body was on auto-pilot while your brain was occupied.

'Stupid Sasuke! Now I have to get to him before he kills himself!'

Things had been running smoothly when Sasuke's match had begun. Well…in retrospect. Sasuke had been faring well in his match against Gaara; who seemed to be an incredibly difficult opponent. He could use streams of sand at will that was able to form shields in front of him in milliseconds or viciously attack outwards. Even still, Sasuke had been holding his own; with the help of the jutsu Kakashi-sensei must have taught him during the month break.

The jutsu Sasuke had been using against Gaara was called Chidori. It was a move that Kakashi-sensei himself had invented. It worked by concentrating one's chakra in the palm of one's hand, which is basically like using lighting as a weapon. Only those with Sharingans could really use it though because the jutsu took so much concentration that one could be snuck up on while attempting to gather chakra. Having the Sharingan allowed one to be able to see their surroundings even while focusing so much concentrated energy. Keitaro had explained this to you, since he had faced Kakashi-sensei in many matches over the years. He never told you the outcomes to those battles, but somehow you knew.

Sometime through the match, however, things grew a little…hectic. Or downright insane. The adjectives were interchangeable. Gaara seemed to have a mental breakdown of sorts during the battle. Being up on the balcony, you couldn't quite tell what had been going down but Temari, who had been standing beside you, grew fidgety. Then she was gone in a second, leaping over the balcony to her maroon-haired teammate. You had narrowed your eyes, trying to discover what was going on, when you grew distracted.

Cries and the sound of battle were coming from the stands. You had gasped. _Sand _ninjas were attacking Konoha! All the civilians had been put to sleep, probably via genjutsu. Konoha shinobi were battling amongst the incapacitated citizens, kunais clashing with sand ninjas. Your mind reeled, what was going on!?

Your mind switched back to the arena just in time to see Temari and Kankuro, supporting Gaara between them, dash out of the arena, towards the forests of Konoha. Sasuke, of course, was following.

"Shit!" you had cursed beneath your breath and sprung from the balcony, landing on the arena floor. You had been about to go after Sasuke when you were ambushed.

Five ninja had surrounded you, all with the intent to kill. The ninja that was attacking you now was the last member of the group of five. The opponent now slashed at you, which you blocked with your dagger. The other hand slid to your waist, pulling your other dagger from its secured location on your belt. You twirled it in your fingers before plunging it into the ninja's side.

The sand ninja's eyes widened as blood squirted from the wound, splattering onto your bare hand. His blood was warm. Slowly, his hand dropped to the side, his kunai falling to the dirt. He soon followed, crumpling at your feet.

You breathed heavily, distractedly wiping your stained blade on your black shorts. Replacing your weapons, you turned, ready to make your way over the arena wall that Sasuke had climbed to follow the sand team. Just as you made to leave, however, a sand ninja jumped into your path.

You clenched your teeth together, your fingers moving to your kunai pouch. Before the ninja could even advance, a glinting metal object came flying from his left, plowing into his temple. He was thrown to the side, and there he laid, motionless on the ground.

Your head turned in the direction of the kunai. There stood your brother, his hair gently swaying in the breeze. Your breathing returned to normal as you stared over at him. Blood was splattered on his face, but by the look of him you could tell that it wasn't his blood.

You only nodded to your brother, then turned to take your leave again.

"Nakao!"

You stopped and looked over. Keitaro had advanced a couple of paces and now stood about a yard away from you. You continued to stare at your brother to show him that you were listening, but your fingers were twitching, your mind impatient.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"That way," you pointed in the direction you had been trying to get to.

Irritation flashed across Keitaro's face. "You're not following them; it's far too dangerous!"

Anger erupted in your gut. Who was he to order you around? You weren't a little kid anymore. You refused to be sheltered and lied to like, apparently, you had been for your entire life. You were still working on formulating your retort when movement from behind Keitaro caught your eye.

A ninja was advancing on your brother, who didn't even seem to notice. This one was carrying a sword that was stained crimson. Your eyes flashed and you ran through a stream a handsigns. As the ninja got into range of your brother, sword back, ready to slice your brother's head off of his body, you rushed all of your wind around your right arm. Making a large, open gesture with your arm, you swept it back towards your body. In doing so, a strong current of wind rushed just past your brother to the ninja about to attack him. As it reached, it wrapped the ninja in a cocoon and you sent him flying towards the arena wall several yards away. He smashed into the wall, his bones cracking into pieces.

Keitaro's head shot in the direction of the now-shattered body. Eyes wide with a trace amount of shock written on his face, Keitaro looked back to you. His mouth opened, like he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. You spoke instead.

"I'm not just a little kid anymore! I'm a kunoichi now; and my teammate's in trouble!" you stared defiantly at your brother, lips set in a firm line.

Keitaro's lips moved but instead of speaking, he only sighed. A look of defeat flashed across his features and his shoulders drooped. He looked to you with almost sad eyes. "You're right…you're not."

You felt a sense of ease rush over you. Before you could comment, Keitaro reached to his side, pulling out a kunai. He whipped it towards you. You stared with wide eyes as the whistling sound of the kunai rushing through the air, swept past your ear. You swirled around to see a sand ninja fall to the ground, the kunai stuck through his neck.

Slowly, you turned back around to face your brother. He nodded at you, which you returned. Without another look, you once again turned in the direction you'd been wanting to go. You pushed chakra into the soles of your feet and took off at a run towards the concrete wall. You began to scale the wall, going higher and higher, the sounds of battle no longer reaching you.

You pushed yourself over the wall, jumping onto a nearby tree branch. Here you calmed yourself, your mind reeling. At first you had been worried about losing trace of Sasuke and your opponents, but you slowly found that this would not be a problem. There was an overpowering chakra in the air. It seemed to be blocking out the other chakras, since you couldn't even find Sasuke's.

You took off in pursuit. The trees whipped past in a green and brown blur as you sped through the forest. You thought you were growing closer, which told you that the triage had most likely stopped. Just as your mind calculated this, a strong wind came from your left. It struck your side, sending you flying into a tree trunk several trees over.

Gasping, you held your head. You were sitting on a new tree branch, back against the tree trunk. Bark had fallen around you from the hole your body had created. You peered upward through your bangs, identifying a body standing on a tree limb several trees away from you. She stood cockily on the branch, her large fan in hand. Your eyes narrowed. 'Temari…'

Never taking your eyes off of the blond, you got to your feet, using one hand on the tree trunk to help push you up. Temari had her large, white fan- nearly the size of her- spread out in front of her, holding it like a shield. You clutched one hand into a fist. You didn't have time for this.

"Get out of my way," you demanded, staring Temari down with impatience.

You only saw Temari smirk over her fan. Fine, if that's how she wanted it…

In the blink of an eye, Temari jumped upwards, you quickly copying. With a mighty heave, she pulled her fan back and thrust it towards you. Another stream of wind came barreling towards you. You quickly dodged, dropping several feet. You grabbed onto a tree branch and swung yourself up and on top of it.

Temari landed several trees away from you. She stood confidently, her blue eyes set intently on you. But this only lasted a second before she brought her fan over her head once more, sending a huge blast of wind in your direction.

Your eyes flashed and you jumped up onto another tree branch, watching as the one below you was sliced in two. But the wind continued to follow and you were forced to keep jumping backwards from tree limb to tree limb until the wind finally died.

Standing on a new tree branch, you breathed heavily. Your heart was thumping against your ribcage as you watched Temari carefully. She stood in a fighting stance, fan opened behind her. Your mind was running through options; what could you do? Fighting wind with wind would most likely end in a standstill. You were still too short of chakra from your fight to be able to overpower her wind.

Before you could calculate a plan, Temari sent another blast of wind in your direction. You jumped up to avoid the stream and reached into the pouch behind you, pulling out several kunai. In a single, fluid motion, you flicked the kunai straight for Temari.

"Don't underestimate me!" she cried, pulling her fan back and thrusting another blast of wind towards you.

You gasped as the current caught you, smashing your body into a tree trunk. You cried out as the wind sliced at your body. Squeezing your eyes shut, you exerted extra strength with a cry, pushing yourself away from the tree trunk and sliding behind it. Wind whipped past you on either side as you breathed heavily, back against the tree trunk.

'I need to do something about that fan…' you peered around as the wind died, catching a glimpse of Temari standing where she had been moments ago. Your eyes narrowed.

You hopped out from behind the tree, standing on a tree branch facing Temari. Bringing your hands together, your fingers ran through a sequence of handsigns. Taking in a deep breath of air, you brought your index finger and thumb together and to your mouth. You blew out.

Several streams of air flew from your lips, headed straight for Temari. She waited for the streams to near her before back flipping off of the tree branch. Head first, she flew towards the ground, your streams of fire following.

Temari landed on her feet on the ground milliseconds before your streams of fire smashed into the ground, encasing her in a ring of red and orange flames. Temari looked around herself first before gazing up at you.

Wasting no time, you repeated your handsigns and took another long breath of air. Bringing your pinched fingers to your lips, you blew outwards. Instead of streams of fire, this time you used Sasuke's fireball technique and hurtled it straight towards the middle of your fire ring-straight for Temari.

You waited as the fire seemed to smash into the ground, your eyes shifting from side to side. Sweat ran down your forehead. 'Did I get her?'

No sooner had you gotten out the question when you heard Temari's voice cry out from the ground. A thrust of wind came hurtling through your flames, breaking them apart, and straight towards you. Your eyes narrowed and you back flipped off the tree branch, avoiding the wind. You meant to land on the tree branch behind you, which was on the tree that Temari had been able to blast you into with her wind minutes prior.

You landed, and your stomach plummeted. Your feet slid out from beneath you and you were falling off the branch. Your eyes caught the sight of sand covering the tree branch and you sucked in a breath of air. So Temari had planned this.

As you began to fall towards the ground, Temari jumped up, meeting you in the air. A cocky expression was plastered on her face, her blue eyes glittering with triumph. You glared. You watched Temari pull out several kunai from a pouch behind her. You acted.

Throwing your hands in front of you, your fingers ran through handsigns. Just as Temari released her kunais straight for your heart threw your arm out in front of you with a long, sweeping motion. The wind followed, rushing from your body and hitting Temari in the chest.

You saw the surprise register on Temari's face as the wind smacked into her, immediately throwing her backwards. Her black flew into a tree trunk with such force that the trunk behind her broke apart. She cried out upon impact, blood spurting from her mouth.

You summersaulted, landing on your feet on the ground. You glanced up as Temari began to fall to the ground, followed by chunks of the tree trunk. She hit first with a loud **thud**, with softer ones following.

Temari's body shook and she tried to sit up, but failed, falling onto her back once more. You took several steps towards her, glancing down at her. One eye was shut in pain, and the other was glaring up at you. Her face was cut up in several places and blood leaked from her mouth.

"I told you to move," you said simply before jumping up into the trees once more to pursue your teammate.

* * *

The trees whipped by in green and brown blurs. You could feel chakra now, getting stronger and stronger. You were getting closer.

You flew into a new clearing, stopping on a tree branch. The splintering of wood deafened the clearing around you as you looked forward. Your eyes widened and you ducked as an entire tree trunk came hurtling towards you. It flew over your head, smashing into the forestry behind you.

You jumped to your feet, taking in the view around you. It appeared that half of the clearing was in near destruction. Half of the trees were either ripped from the ground or cut into pieces. Your eyes caught movement. Glancing over, you gasped.

Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch, his back against the tree trunk. Well…sort of. There was a large crater in the tree trunk, which Sasuke was sitting in. He was merely feet away and you could see he was panting.

"Sasuke!" you cried without thinking, darting over to his tree.

Sasuke immediately turned his head at your voice. His eyes widened as you landed on his tree branch. You rushed over, your feet making hollow noises against the branch. You kneeled in front of Sasuke as you reached him.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" you asked, worriedly scanning his body for injury. He was dirty and bruised, but there appeared to be no significant damage.

"Nakao! What are you doing here?" Sasuke scolded you, his eyes nervously darting around.

"Huh?" you were caught off guard. You shook your head. "I'm here to collect you before you get yourself killed."

"UCHIHA SASUKE!"

You gasped, peering over your shoulder. Standing on a tree branch, yards away from you was…was…

"What the hell is that thing?" you gasped, eyes shaking.

"Gaara," Sasuke replied solemnly from behind you.

You refused to look away.

"On steroids?" you asked skeptically.

You could see Gaara, if only half of him. What concerned you was the right half of his body. The right half of Gaara's face was completely altered. The only way you could think to describe it was 'monster'. His eye was completely black with a yellow iris. A black slit ran down the middle. The rest of his face was a sand color and sprouted a large, pointed ear.

The pattern seemed to continue down to Gaara's right arm which was now no longer an arm. Instead, what would be considered his arm was twice the length of his body. At the end was a giant claw about the size of you. Swishing behind him was a tail. He looked crazed and saliva dripped from his mouth, running down his chin.

Gaara began to laugh. "I see now, Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Kuso!" Sasuke cursed, grabbing your attention. He glared at you. "You idiot, get out of here."

"What? No!" you countered, glaring right back.

"You are too soft, because your hatred is too weak!" Gaara called out, grabbing both yours and Sasuke's attention.

Your eyes shook. "What is he talking about?"

"Is this why you cannot beat me, Uchiha Sasuke!? Is it because you do not fight for your existence? Do you feel you do not need to kill me to know you are alive? I see, now, your reason for existence…and I will make you fight for it!" Gaara laughed.

"Nakao!" Sasuke quickly yelled, jumping to his feet, but it was too late.

With incomprehendable speed, Gaara's claw shot outwards. You gasped as it reached you, engulfing you completely, leaving only your head free. You cried out as Gaara lifted you away from the branch, hovering you stories above the ground. You felt him squeeze and you cried out in pain, coughing.

"You are weaker than me Uchiha Sasuke!" Gaara cried out.

"Shut up!" Sasuke called.

Gaara and Sasuke jumped away from their branches at the same time, headed for one another. Gaara was thrusting his arm, stilling holding you, towards Sasuke, and Sasuke had his Chidori activated.

Your eyes shook. 'I'm going to die!'

Sasuke neared, the blue light of his Chidori washing over you. You squeezed your eyes shut.

Seconds passed. You opened your eyes. Sasuke and Gaara had each landed on opposite branches. Sasuke's back was to you and he was panting, the Chidori in his hand fading. You tried your best to glance down at Gaara, but you quickly grew distracted.

At Gaara's shoulder, his arm suddenly turned completely to sand, falling apart. You gasped as you were suddenly freed, but sent hurtling towards the ground. You called out, managing to catch onto a tree branch. You swung yourself onto it, panting. You threw a hand across your ribcage, as it pulsed tenderly in pain.

You glanced up to Gaara and Sasuke. Gaara's right arm was now back to normal, but his left arm was now turning instead. Sasuke's Chidori completely faded and he suddenly fell face first onto his tree branch.

"Sasuke!" you screamed.

Gaara laughed manically, jumping off of his branch. As Gaara flew towards him, Sasuke didn't move. Your eyes widened. You bent your knees, propelling yourself into the air. You were too far away…you wouldn't make it!

Just as Gaara neared Sasuke, a blur shot from the forestry, kicking Gaara in the face. You landed on a tree branch not far from Sasuke, wide-eyed as Gaara flew backwards. Sasuke's savior landed on a branch in front of Sasuke.

"Naruto!" you cried happily, peering up at the boy.

Sakura had arrived too and was kneeling beside Sasuke, fussing over him.

"Nakao!" Naruto glanced over to you. He glanced back to Gaara as he moved back into attack mission. Naruto looked back to you. "Nakao, who is that!?"

"That's Gaara," you glanced to the beast.

"Gaara!?" he echoed, astonished, glancing to Gaara.

"You're the guy I tried to kill," Gaara realized, saliva dripping from his mouth to the branch he stood on.

Naruto's eyes widened, shaking. You, too, gasped, unsure of what Gaara was talking about.

Gaara bent his knees, lunging forward. At first, you thought he was headed for Naruto, but you quickly figured out this was not the case. You gasped as Gaara completely bypassed Naruto, headed straight for the incapacitated Sasuke.

Your eyes widened as everything seemed to slow down. Sakura got to her feet, sliding in front of Sasuke with a kunai in hand as Gaara extended his claw.

'That idiot! She'll get massacred!'

Gritting your teeth together, you pushed chakra into your legs and pushed off of your tree branch. You felt like you were in a race for Gaara, headed for the same goal. Somehow, you beat him.

You reached Sakura just in time. You shouldered her out of the way and she flew to the side, falling onto the tree branch with a grunt. You heard her call your name as Gaara's claw wrapped around you instead. You coughed, feeling the familiar squeeze of his claw.

Gaara let out a growl of anger. You were helpless as Gaara swung his arm, smashing you into a tree trunk feet away from the rest of your team.

You felt your head hit first with a loud **smack**. Your vision blurred and you breathing shallowed. You couldn't hear a thing; just the silent ambiance. You tried to look ahead, but it was nothing but a swirl of colors. You felt tired.

'They're…they're safe…'

Your eyelids slid over your eyes, sealing them shut.


	26. Parting Ways

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"Actually, it does. Anything that concerns Nakao, concerns me."

There was a pause. The same voice spoke again.

"Is that…?"

Another pause.

"Give it to me. I'll tell her."

"I'll do it."

"No, she'll respond better if I do it!"

"Your jealousy is uncanning."

An aggravated stutter. "You're just her _teammate_!"

"This doesn't concern you." This statement was angry.

"You think you can just have whatever you want, don't you!"

Groggily, your head lolled back and forth. Somehow, through the fog in your mind, you were able to discern the tension in…where were you? Those voices sounded so familiar…

"Sasuke?" you mumbled. Just moving your lips seemed to take effort.

You began to peel your eyelids open. Your vision was blurry at first but after blinking several times, it became clear. A white ceiling came into view. You were lying on something soft.

"Nakao?"

Slowly, you looked to your left, head still against…a pillow? A room opened up to you. It was small with white walls. Electronic machines littered the room, some with blinking lights, others with screens blinking digital numbers. Two people were in the room.

"Kiba?" you mumbled sleepily.

Kiba was standing at your bedside, staring down at you. Concern was written on his face. You blinked slowly.

"What's going on?" you asked. The grogginess was beginning to slip away.

Your vision moved away from Kiba, finding the other person in the room. He was standing closer to the door, his onyx stare focused on you.

"You're in the hospital, Nakao," Kiba's voice dragged your attention back to him. "Do you remember what happened?"

Slowly, you shut your eyes. Memories began to wash over you.

_You reached Sakura just in time. You shouldered her out of the way and she flew to the side, falling onto the tree branch with a grunt. You heard her call your name as Gaara's claw wrapped around you instead. You coughed, feeling the familiar squeeze of his claw._

_Gaara let out a growl of anger. You were helpless as Gaara swung his arm, smashing you into a tree trunk feet away from the rest of your team. You felt your head hit first with a loud __**smack**__._

"Yeah…" you finally murmered, opening your eyes once more.

You glanced down at your body; it was covered with a blanket. Trying to use your elbows to prop you up, you attempted to sit up. Your ribs felt sore as you pushed yourself into a sitting position. Your whole body felt sore. You felt hands on your back and noted that Kiba was stabilizing you. Your eyes found Sasuke.

Sasuke stood still, his dark eyes on you. Unlike you, he looked uninjured. One hand was in his pocket and the other was clutching something. It was tucked against his side so you couldn't see what. Slowly, you glanced from him to Kiba and back again.

"What's…going on?"

Kiba glanced to Sasuke almost helplessly, but Sasuke only kept his stare on you. You frowned, growing nervous. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Nakao…"

Your eyes fixed on Kiba.

"Nakao…" Kiba sighed.

Sasuke cut him off before he could continue. "This belongs to you."

Your eyes shifted to Sasuke. He slowly held up the object he had been holding in his hand. Your eyes narrowed curiously as you got to your feet. Were you seeing what you thought you were seeing?

The tiled floor was cold beneath your feet as you stood. You felt light headed at first, but it dissipated in a matter of moments. Without wasting time, you walked forward, towards Sasuke. Kiba watched you go, distressed.

As you neared Sasuke, you noticed the object in his hand was a headband. As you stopped before him, you glanced up to his face, confused. Sasuke's eyes seemed…troubled, but his face stayed even. But no matter how calm his demeanor and voice was, nothing could soften the blow of what he was about to tell you.

"They found this on a shinobi after the battle…he was dead."

Your mouth dried. You could feel dread pile into your stomach, but you didn't move or say a word.

Slowly, Sasuke turned the headband in his hands so that the metal plate was in his palms. Stitched into the fabric on the back of the headband was a pair of initials. K.M.

"Keitaro's dead…Nakao," Sasuke said quietly, flipping the headband over in his hands and handing it to you.

You could only stare at it for a long moment before you gingerly took the headband into yours hands. The tips of your fingers curled over and rested on the cold metal. You tilted it slightly and your face flashed in the metal, staring back at you. A lump filled your throat as tears began to form in the corners of your eyes.

Your knees quaked and gave out. You let yourself fall, hardly noticing. Just before your knees hit the floor, someone caught you by the shoulders, pulling you against them. The faint scent of early morning forest wafted into your nostrils. You didn't realize you were being sat down until the person let go of you. You glanced up to find you were sitting on the edge of the bed and you were staring up at Sasuke. His face revealed nothing, but his eyes seemed to hold sympathy. You moved your gaze to the headband in your hands. Your bangs fell around your face. Tears slid down your cheeks.

* * *

Dressed completely in black, you stood between Sasuke and Sakura. You and Sakura were dressed identically in a black kimono top, black skirt and black sandals. Today, you were wearing your brother's headband around your neck. You subconsciously reached fingers up to touch it.

When you had awoken three days ago, Konoha was in ruins. The Sand Village had been in league with Orochimaru. While you had taken off after Sasuke, Sand ninja put the entire stadium under a genjutsu- other than those who could dispel it- and proceeded to attempt to destroy your village. Orochimaru had summoned giant snakes to knock down the village wall, leaving your village vulnerable to Sand troops waiting outside. Meanwhile, the Hokage battled the Kazekage, who was actually Orochimaru in disguise. The Hokage had given his life in an attempt to take down Orochimaru. Unfortunately…he had given his life in vain. That's why the entire village was gathered together today in mourning.

They couldn't have picked a more unoriginal day for a funeral. The sky was blotted out with dark gray clouds that were releasing fat drops of rain, mixing with the tears of those around you. The rain began to plaster your bangs over your eyes and your clothes to your skin.

The village was arranged in a long row in the least destroyed place in the village. Long tables were set out in the very front, side by side, white sheets covering the tables. Atop the middle table was a picture of the Hokage in an oak picture frame. His ever-present pipe and hat rested beside the frame.

The rest of the tables were littered with similar frames filled with the identification pictures of Konoha shinobi lost during the invasion. Your eyes scanned the frames; there were more than you liked to count. Your vision finally came to rest on your brother's photo.

The picture was only a few years old and had been taken when your brother had become a jounin. Keitaro had only been fifteen when he had been promoted. Despite his age, Keitaro's face was very serious; even his dark brown eyes revealed nothing.

You couldn't tear your eyes from the picture. You couldn't believe he was gone-now just a picture in a frame and a memory in your head. You hadn't gone home yet. You didn't have the heart to open that door and step into a dark, empty house.

You had been staying with Kiba and his family. In fact, the clothes you were wearing now belonged to Kiba's older sister. During the day, you had been spending your time trying to repair the village. That's what many of the shinobi had been doing these days.

Your eyes watched groups of people step from their rows and make their way to the tables in the front. Everyone was paying their last respects. At the moment, everyone was walking up to the photo of the Hokage. Later is when individuals would find the picture of their loved one lost.

At last thirty minutes passed before you approached the table. Now that you were inches from the picture frame, your thoughts focused on the Hokage. You looked at his many wrinkles and imagined them creasing around his eyes and lips as he smiled. But they didn't. It was a photograph. The Hokage was dead.

You stood between Sasuke and Sakura. The three of you each had a white rose in your hand. There was already a huge stack of them in front of the picture from shinobi before you. The three of you set your roses down at the same time; Sakura's delicate, uncalloused hand to your right, Sasuke's larger hand on your left. You glanced over to him.

Sasuke had his head down, black bangs framing his face. As though sensing your gaze, he glanced over to you. Your eyes connected. You could see in those onyx-colored eyes that he was thinking of the same thing.

_"Haha, Sasuke-kun! I win!" you gloated, spinning around excitedly and spitting your tongue out with glee._

_Sasuke finally crossed your designated finished line and stopped before you. His chest heaved up and down, but he still managed to pout at you. "You cheated!"_

_"Don't be a sore loser," you smiled, flicking him in the arm._

_"I'm not!" Sasuke immediately protested, glaring at you._

_"Are too."_

_"Are not!"_

_"Are too!"_

_"Are not!"_

_"Woah woah, what's going on over here?"_

_You and Sasuke both raised your small heads to see someone walking towards you. He was dressed in white robes and a pipe hung from his lips._

_"Hokage-sama," you greeted, bowing at the waist. Sasuke reluctantly followed your lead._

_The Hokage stopped before you, smiling. "What's the trouble over here?"_

_"Sasuke-kun's a sore loser!" you immediately huffed, pointing a finger over at him._

_"She cheated!" Sasuke countered, glaring over at you._

_"Nakao?" the Hokage raised an eyebrow at you._

_Your mouth dropped before you crossed your arms over your chest. "How come you're looking at me!?"_

_"What happened, Sasuke?" the Hokage tried, now turning his attention to him._

_Still glaring at you, Sasuke spoke his troubles. "She threw shuriken in front of me while we were racing! I had to jump to miss them!"_

_The Hokage sternly raised an eyebrow. Smoke curled from his pipe and into the air. "Nakao?"_

_"Keitaro-oniisan said ninjas are supposed to use anything at their disposal!" you defended, arms gesturing widely in front of you._

_The Hokage sighed and seemingly mumbled to himself. "Keitaro…I shouldn't be surprised."_

_Confused, you waited for the Hokage._

_The Hokage put a small smile on and crouched to your level. "Keitaro-san is right; a ninja must be ready for anything-"_

_You immediately turned your face to Sasuke, sticking your tongue out._

_"-__**but**__, Sasuke is your friend. This is not a life or death situation. A friend isn't someone you need to truly compete with. A friend should be treasured, because you never know how long you will have them."_

_Sasuke turned his face to you this time, sticking his tongue out at you. You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest._

Slowly taking your gaze off of Sasuke, you turned it once more to the Hokage's photograph. He had cared so much about everyone in this village. He had been there for you when your parents had died, and he had taught you valuable lessons. It was strange now to think that you would never see him again. Never receive another mission from him as he sat behind his giant oak wood desk, smoking curling from his pipe and towards the ceiling.

You shut your eyes for just a moment, allowing yourself these last few seconds with a strong and wise man. You said your farewells in your mind before opening your eyes again. You glanced to your two teammates, who each nodded ever-so-slightly to you. The three of you turned your backs and moved back to the crowd.

* * *

The crowd slowly began to disperse. Teams wandered off together while individual villagers made their ways home. Then there were the people like you. As the area began to empty, individuals stepped up to the other picture frames stationed on the table tops. You waited a long time, just standing and staring at those who wept over photographs of their loved one, before you decided to move forward.

You slowly wandered up to your brother's picture frame. No tears came to your eyes, but you felt incredible sorrow. It was a strange feeling knowing that you'd never hear his voice again; never hear him laugh or feel him suffocate you in a hug. He wouldn't be able to ruffle your hair anymore…

You closed your eyes and tried to will away the memories that were surfacing. His smile, his obnoxious excitement on your birthday every year, the way he would wink when he knew something you didn't…

You couldn't remember anymore why you had been angry at your brother. It seemed so ridiculous now. Because he hadn't told you some things? He had just been trying to protect his little sister. He had truly loved you. Your last family member.

As you thought now about how you had treated your brother recently, acid bubbled in your stomach. You were sickened with your behavior. And yet, up to the very end, he was still trying to protect you.

You felt someone walk up behind you. You didn't have to look to see who it was. He walked up beside you, standing on your right.

The two of you stood in silence, eyes set on your brother's photograph. You needed to leave soon. Although the rain had lightened to a drizzle, your hair was plastered to your face, and your clothes to your skin. You were chilled to the bone. But as silly as you knew it was, you didn't want to leave. For some reason, you felt like, if you left now, you'd really be saying goodbye.

"That's absurd…" you whispered, gently shaking your head.

"No."

You slowly glanced over at Sasuke. He, too, turned his head to watch you. Your eyes bored into his, steady and sure. You saw your eyes reflected in his, and you saw the understanding.

You didn't know how long you held his gaze, and how long he held yours. As the drizzling rain draped your bangs in front of your eyes, you felt raindrops fall from your eyelashes. The rain was also soaking Sasuke's hair, falling into his soft eyes. Goosebumps rose on your skin and shivers ran down your spine. A voice in the back of your mind chided that it was not the rain. Before you could help yourself, you found your lips parting.

"Nakao!"

You blinked, shaking your head. It was as though you were being jolted out of a trance. Surprised, lips still hanging apart, you turned to see Kiba jogging towards you. He came to a short stop just in front of you.

Kiba was dressed in the same outfit as Sasuke. His mop of brown hair was soaking from the rain. His bangs fell into his eyes since his headband was now around his neck.

"Kiba?" you breathed, still feeling surprised. You felt like you had been caught doing something, though that was completely ridiculous.

Kiba seemed completely oblivious. Visible concern was plastered on his face. He reached a hand to your face, moving wet hair from your eyes. He grabbed your shoulders firmly. "What are you still doing out here? You're gunna get sick."

Without responding, you glanced over Kiba's shoulder to Sasuke. The Sasuke you had seen moments ago was gone. His entire demeanor had changed. Now he was distant, guarded and unapproachable. Still, his cold eyes were on you.

"We need to get you inside," Kiba continued, rubbing your upper arms like he was trying to warm you up.

Suddenly, without a word, Sasuke pivoted and began to walk away. You gently pushed past Kiba. "Sasuke…wait!"

But he didn't; he didn't even look back. You watched Sasuke walk away as the rain became heavier, replastering your bangs over your face. You felt sorrow creep back into your soul, and you vaguely realized that you hadn't notice it dissipate. You felt a hand on your shoulder, but you didn't look behind you. You kept your vision trained on the figure that was disappearing into the distance.


	27. A Memory Materialized

You pushed the door open cautiously, like an angry tiger awaited you on the other side. Taking a step into the dark room, your right hand found the light switch. Your fingers rested there for a countable moment before you sighed and flipped the switch.

You didn't know what you had expected would happen when the lights illuminated the room, but it was the same as always. The room was just as bare and meticulously clean as it had been the day Keitaro left it for the very last time. Sorrow swirled in your heart.

You sighed and walked into the room. Keitaro's bed rested against the far wall. It was made; the blanket folded perfectly at the top and not a single wrinkle in the pillowcase. His dresser top was completely bare aside from a single picture frame. Moving over to it, you picked the frame up carefully and delicately ran a finger across the glass.

The picture was about seven or eight years old. Keitaro and Itachi stood side by side. A young you was sitting atop Itachi's shoulders. You were grinning, your eyes shut with glee. Sasuke was on Keitaro's shoulders. His head was turned, looking at you and he was smiling. Itachi and Keitaro were watching one another. A delicate smile graced Itachi's face. A grin was plastered on Keitaro's as his messy, brown bangs hid his eyes from view.

You smiled ever so slight at the photo. You didn't remember the exact memory, but those years you had always been happy; up until your parents had been killed-murdered. Hatred for Natsuo bubbled in your gut, but you quickly banished it. Hatred only hurt the hater and would only cause more bitterness. You had already gotten your revenge on him.

You replaced the frame and glanced at the dresser drawers. You supposed this time would have to come-you'd have to go through Keitaro's belongings; just as he had done with your parents' years prior.

The first three drawers you checked were clothes. One had been filled with medical supplies. Just like everything else, the clothes were neatly folded and items were placed in precise spots. You opened the forth drawer; this was filled with more personal items.

There were old photographs of your family or of him and Itachi. There was a pocket watch you had never remembered seeing. It was gold and the chain was gold and scarlet. Picking it up, you flipped it open. On the inside, it was engraved with the Uchiha clan symbol. You stared at it curiously for a moment before replacing it.

A book in the corner caught your attention. It was thick and its covers were black. Grabbing it, you opened it to the first page. The pages were hand written with neat penmanship. Your eyes skimmed the page. This was Keitaro's journal.

You bit your bottom lip. These were Keitaro's personal thoughts; you couldn't read this. But as your eyes hovered over the last word you had read, you felt like it was _right_ to read it, like Keitaro would want you to. After a minute of simply staring, your eyes finally moved along the pages. As you read, your eyes widened.

* * *

You hurried through the streets of Konoha, trying not sprint but walking as quickly as possible. It seemed like today, everyone wanted to be in your way. Didn't they see that you had somewhere to be? That you were late and they needed to go for their afternoon walk elsewhere?

'Apparently not…' you thought with annoyance as you got stuck behind an elderly man, creeping down the road with a cane.

Many frustrating moments later, you finally reached the designated meeting spot. Your eyes practically twinkled at the sight of the building. You came to an abrupt stop at the shop entrance, trying to catch your breath. You smoothed your frazzled hair down and took a calming breath before stepping inside.

Your eyes scanned the crowd of people in the shop. People were sitting in groups, laughing over drinks. You finally spotted a figure sitting alone and you walked over.

"Hey," you smiled, greeting your friend.

Kiba glanced up and smiled. You sat on the other side of the wooden table that closely mirrored a picnic bench. A cup of steaming liquid sat in front of Kiba, along with a plate of assorted sweets.

"Hey," Kiba greeted in return. Akamaru, sitting atop his head, yipped happily.

At that moment, a waitress wandered over to your table. Her thick hair was pulled up in a ponytail where a pen was placed. She seemed slightly irritable and hadn't even bothered to pull out her waitress book. At least she tried to sound civil when she looked to you. "What can I get you?"

"Just a sweet tea, thanks," you smiled gently, returning your gaze to Kiba as the waitress walked away. "So what's up?"

Kiba shrugged. "Nothing much. The team took a break today from fixing the village and trained."

"I can't believe how much Konoha has been repaired already. I mean, this place was demolished," you said.

Kiba nodded. "Well they have every single, available shinobi working on it."

You put a hand to your chin. "Yeah I know, things have been rather dull. Only the jounin are going on missions. But I heard that they're starting to run low on jounin and chuunin to go on missions."

Kiba's lips twisted into a frown. "That sounds about right. Our village is really vulnerable right now."

Your grave face nodded in agreement just as the waitress came back to your table. She set your steaming mug of sweet tea on the table top without a word, so you didn't bother to thank her. As you raised the glass to your lips, something over Kiba's shoulder caught your attention.

Slowly, you lowered your cup, peering intensely at what had caught your eye…or whom. At the table in front of you sat two figures. From their physique you discerned that they were male. They were dressed in black cloaks that were printed with red clouds. Atop their heads were large, triangle, bamboo hats that covered their faces.

Your face screwed up in concentration. You didn't know what it was about them, but their very presence attracted your attention.

"Nakao? Are you alright?"

"Huh?" you blinked, shaking your head, and turned your head in the direction of the voice.

Kiba was staring at you curiously. "I asked if you were okay. What are you looking at?"

Kiba glanced over his shoulder and you returned your gaze to the mysterious men, only to find they were gone. Kiba turned back to you with a concerned frown.

"But-there were-they…" you scratched your head. Were you finally going crazy?

"Kakashi, it's rare for you to show up first."

Your head perked up once more. 'Sasuke?'

"Just a sec, Kiba," you mumbled distractedly, getting up from your seat. Kiba opened his mouth to respond, but you were already gone.

You pushed aside the flaps at the entrance of the sweets shop and looked to your left. Standing against the side of the shop was Kakashi-sensei, his hands leisurely tucked in his pockets. In front of Kakashi-sensei stood Sasuke.

"Hey, what's going on?" you asked, stepping up to your male teammates.

Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke glanced over at you. Kakashi-sensei pushed himself off of the wall. "Hi, Nakao, what are you doing?"

"Just hanging out with Kiba," you shrugged, pointing a thumb over your shoulder. You glanced over to Sasuke. "What are you guys doing?"

"Kakashi-sensei wanted to talk to me about something," Sasuke said, turning to you.

You smiled at him. For some reason, seeing Sasuke made you want to grin. You hadn't seen him recently and now that he was near you, you felt complete. You hadn't felt empty before, but now that he was here, you felt like you _had been_ empty. It was a very complicated feeling that you didn't get the chance to explore because Kakashi spoke up.

"Why don't you just meet me later, Sasuke?" Kakashi-sensei said, sounding amused as he looked from Sasuke to you to Sasuke again. "At my apartment."

"Hai," Sasuke agreed, glancing to your teacher.

Kakashi-sensei's masked wrinkled to indicate that he was smiling when he waved and departed.

"What does he want to talk to you about?" you asked Sasuke, turning your attention back to him.

Sasuke shrugged lazily. "He didn't say. Something about training I presume."

"Have you been training this whole time?" you asked incredulously.

"Not the entire time," Sasuke clarified.

Your jaw set stubbornly, hands planting in your hips. "So you get to train while the rest of us rebuild the village?"

"I've been helping," Sasuke defended, but he sounded almost amused. There was a small smirk on his face; probably from seeing you annoyed.

"Well stop being a stranger. You should come train with me some time. The trees in my backyard are not effective sparring buddies," you suggested with the ease of talking to Kiba.

"I don't know if you'd be able to keep up," Sasuke smirked cockily.

You smirked back, rolling your eyes. "Please, Sasuke, spare me."

"Nakao?"

You turned, now standing beside Sasuke to see who had said your name. Kiba was walking out of the sweets shop, walking towards you and Sasuke.

"Kiba," you said, suddenly feeling guilty. You had completely forgotten that you had been out with your friend.

Kiba stopped before the two of you, looking at both of you in turn.

"I was just saying hi," you tried to smile, glancing to Sasuke before looking back to Kiba.

Kiba and Sasuke were watching one another intensely. You grew slightly fidgety. There was always tension when the two were around each other, but you didn't know why. You knew Kiba found Sasuke to be a pompous asshole but that didn't warrant the kind of unease that was filling the area.

"Well Sasuke," you said slowly. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Sasuke glanced over at you. You offered him a smile. "Have fun with Kakashi-sensei, okay?"

Grabbing Kiba by the sleeve of his gray jacket and began tugging him down the road. Glancing over your shoulder as you began to walk, you watched Sasuke turn his back and move in the opposite way as you.

* * *

"So Nakao, I want to ask you something," Kiba said suddenly, acting and sounding rather uncomfortable as the two of you walked down the dirt road in town.

"What's up?" you asked, glancing over. You had your fingers laced behind your head.

"Well, I can't help but notice…how well you…and Sasuke…get along," Kiba glanced away as he said this.

You blinked. "What do you mean?"

Kiba looked back to you, a near desperate look on his face. It was like he was silently begging you to understand what he was saying, but you hadn't a clue. He sighed and seemingly began grasping for words. "I mean…you guys are so…close."

You blinked again. "Um, well I don't know if I'd say _that_. But I mean, don't you have a bond with your teammates? There's a certain bond between comrades."

Kiba sighed, frustrated. "Not that."

"Kiba, I don't-" you stopped talking when someone suddenly sprinted past you. "Sasuke?"

The boy halted, whirling around. When he laid eyes on you, he immediately dashed back to you.

"Nakao, have you seen Naruto?" Sasuke asked frantically, grabbing you by the shoulders.

You blinked, taken aback. "What? N-No…"

"Kuso," Sasuke cursed, releasing you.

"Sasuke, what's going on?" you asked, concerned, searching the boy's troubled face.

"Nothing," Sasuke sternly replied before turning away from you and sprinting in the direction he had been heading.

"Sasuke, wait!" you called, taking off after him.

"Nakao!"

You came to a halt, only having moved several feet. You pivoted, resting your gaze on Kiba. He was watching you, an expression of hurt evident on his face. A flash of guilt hit you. You had forgotten about Kiba…again. But something was terribly wrong and you had to go help your friends.

"I'm sorry, Kiba," you tried to relay your sincere apology through your voice and eyes. "I have to go."

Before Kiba could respond, you turned on your heel and dashed in the direction Sasuke had gone. Your last view of Kiba was his crushed demeanor and sad eyes.

* * *

You finally caught Sasuke exiting the Ichiraku Ramen stand. A logical place to search for Naruto. But the blonde must not have been inside if Sasuke's concerned, nearly panicked, expression meant anything. But although you could clearly see Sasuke, he was too far away and he took off before you could reach him.

"Dammit," you huffed, breathing heavily. Sasuke was seriously booking it. As you followed the Uchiha, your mind raced faster than your heart.

'What the hell is going on? Is Naruto okay? Why is Sasuke so panicked? Something isn't right!'

You traveled behind Sasuke with quite a bit of distance between you. You could barely see his back disappearing in the distance. The longer you followed, the more confused you became. Sasuke had led you out of the village and into a neighboring sect. It resembled a busy city with lots of hotels, restaurants and gambling casinos. Why would Naruto be all the way out here?

Sasuke finally jumped down from a building, for he had been traveling by rooftop. When you reached the same building, you dropped down and gasped. You were standing in the busy city. People bustled around you, chattering to one another. A variety of aromas hit your nose as neon signs surrounded you. You frantically looked around. Where had Sasuke gone?

Calming yourself, you closed your eyes and focused on the memory of Sasuke's chakra. It was so familiar to you now. You could mentally see your chakra flowing out, searching for Sasuke's chakra. When you found it, your eyes snapped open. Your head turned in the proper direction. He was in the hotel a yard away from you. And there were two, large chakras. They seemed to be purposely masked and you knew nothing else about them. Even masked, however, you could feel that they were large.

Wasting no more time, you sprinted towards the hotel. You flung the door inward; the small wind chime that was attached to it jingling obnoxiously. Your eyes scanned the room. It was a small lobby with a reception desk in front of you. An elderly man sat behind the desk, his hair graying. Without a word, the man pointed an index finger upwards towards the ceiling. You didn't bother to respond and immediately bounded up the staircase that was beside the man, taking two steps at a time.

You reached the top of the stairs, appearing on the second floor. A long hallway stretched out before you, lined with doors and dim lights. Halfway down the hall, Naruto stood in front of an open door. With your arrival, he looked over, surprise and confusion still etched onto his face. In front of him stood a very tall man. At least you _thought _it was a man.

The character in question was definitely male, but any revealed skin was a bluish-gray color. His face resembled a shark, complete with gills and sharpened teeth. His spikey, blue hair was held up by a mist headband. The metal, however, had a long scratch through the middle, immediately identifying him as a missing ninja. Missing nin were shinobi who had abandoned their villages for various reasons, and were considered treacherous.

On the shark man's shoulder rested a giant sword, which was probably the same size as you, height and width wise. He wore a black cloak with red clouds printed on it. The cloak was identical to the one worn by the figure standing in the middle of the hallway. Said figure had black hair pulled back into a low ponytail and long bangs framing his face. His eyes were an onyx color and deep grooves underlined them. He wore a Konoha headband, a line scratched across the Leaf insignia.

Your breath caught in your throat. 'Itachi…'

Standing several feet in front of you, facing Itachi, was Sasuke. He had looked over his shoulder when you arrived and was glaring at you. Sasuke was legitimately angry that you were here- it was written all over his face.

The hallway was eerily silent, all eyes on you. You could feel your heart slamming rapidly against your ribcage.

"Sasuke…" you tried taking a step towards him.

"Stay there!" Sasuke immediately shouted, halting you in his tracks. "This is **my **fight."

"But Sasuke-" you tried to say, but your voice was drowned out by the chirping noise of Sasuke's Chidori that he had just activated.

You watched worriedly as the blue chakra of Sasuke's Chidori emanated from his hand, shooting out random bolts of chakra here and there. Sasuke now had his full attention set on Itachi.

"I've been wanting to say this to you…" Sasuke began, his Sharingan eyes narrowed at Itachi. "I've lived hating you…And also that I have lived only to kill you…I have lived for this!"

Sasuke let out a cry as he dashed towards Itachi. His hand holding the Chidori was extended away from his body, it breaking apart the wall as he rushed Itachi. He thrust his hand at Itachi, aiming for his heart. Itachi had not moved the entire time and when Sasuke reached him, he only reached his arm out and his hand caught Sasuke's wrist.

You gasped. 'Sasuke's attack…! It was stopped, just like that!'

Behind Sasuke, Naruto put his fingers into a handseal, catching the fish-man's attention. As Naruto began to gather chakra, Itachi barely glanced at Sasuke.

"You're in the way," he said simply before tightening his grip, snapping Sasuke's wrist.

"Sasuke!" you and Naruto cried as Sasuke's pained scream stabbed the air.

"Dammit!" Naruto gritted his teeth together, activating his jutsu.

"Too late!" the fish-man smirked, bringing out his big sword that was wrapped in bandages. He swung it in front of Naruto, but didn't hit him.

Naruto's eyes widened and sweat dripped down his face.

The fish-man laughed. "My Samehada eats chakra. Now that your jutsu is gone, you shouldn't be any more trouble. First of all…should I chop off a leg or cut off an arm?"

In the meantime, you disobeyed Sasuke's demands and dashed over to him. He now lay on the hard ground, breathing heavily. You so wanted to drop to your knees, comfort him and make sure he was okay, but there was no time. You instead slid in front of him, keeping your body between him and Itachi. You glared up at the elder Uchiha, but he didn't notice since his attention was turned behind him.

A man had just appeared in a cloud of smoke directly behind Naruto. He had long, thick white hair and a Konoha headband wrapped around his forehead. Two red lines ran from each eye to his neck. An unconscious woman was draped over his right shoulder.

"Hehe…So it's one of the legendary three ninjas, the Great Jiraiya, eh? You like beautiful woman but we weren't thinking that such a simple method could successfully stall you anyway," the fish man smirked.

You sucked in a breath of air. 'That's one of the legendary sannin Jiraiya?' Keitaro had informed you all about them.

Jiraiya gently set the woman against a wall out of harm's way as he talked over his shoulder to Itachi and his companion. "You guys wanted to draw me away so you used the Sharingan to cast genjutsu on the woman huh? Not a very manly way of doing things. So you really **are **after Naruto?"

Your eyes widened. 'No wonder Sasuke was looking for Naruto! He found out Itachi was going after Naruto! That's why Itachi is in Konoha after all these years! But why…?'

"No wonder Kakashi knew about this…you were the source of information," Itachi's full intention was set on the new arrival. "To abduct Naruto, those were the orders give to us by the higher echelons of the organization 'Akatsuki'."

"You won't get Naruto," Jiraiya glared at Itachi.

"And why not?" Itachi responded coolly.

"Because right now, right here, you two will die by my hand."

"Don't do it."

Everyone glanced over to you as Sasuke spoke. You glanced over your shoulder. Sasuke was still lying on the ground, obviously in pain.

"This guy…is mine," Sasuke said.

"I have absolutely no interest in you," Itachi responded, grabbing your attention. He seemed annoyed as he watched his younger brother.

Despite Itachi's statement, he took a step towards you and Sasuke. Your instincts fire off, and you instinctually reached for your blades. Your hands hovered over their handles.

"Makase Nakao," Itachi looked down at you. His cool voice made you shiver. "It's been a while."

You swallowed, glaring. Your mouth was suddenly dry and you couldn't speak, even if you had thought of something to say.

Itachi continued. "You look a lot like your brother now."

Itachi seemed ready to move at you. Your eyes widened.

"Don't…fucking…touch her…"

Despite all of your training, you turned away from your foe. Sasuke was slowly, shakily getting to his feet. He was breathing heavily.

"Sasuke," you whispered, foolishly turning your back on Itachi and appearing at his side. You put a hand on his arm. "Sasuke, are you-"

Sasuke's uninjured arm whipped out, plowing into your stomach. The wind was knocked out of your lungs and you flew backwards, hitting the ground on your side several feet behind him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice a mixture of horror and surprise.

You coughed, desperately trying to regain oxygen. Your abdomen was in pain. There was a small amount of saliva collecting on the sides of your mouth.

'S-Sasuke…'

You finally got to your knees, immediately turning to see Sasuke rush his brother. As he reached him, Itachi brought back a knee ramming it into Sasuke's abdomen. He immediately cried out in pain as blood spurted from his mouth. Itachi's onslaught continued. He brought a hand down on Sasuke's neck, bowing his head. Itachi then rammed his knee beneath Sasuke's chin. Sasuke cried out again, but was cut off as Itachi punch him in the abdomen.

"Sasuke!" you cried. You tried to stand but faltered from lack of oxygen and you fell back down.

Sasuke collapsed to the ground, the side of his face on the ground. Itachi bent down gracefully, grabbing Sasuke around the neck. He picked him up, slamming him into the nearest wall. He bent in, whispering something to Sasuke that you couldn't hear before his eyes flashed, staring directly into Sasuke's. Sasuke immediately cried out in anguish.

'S-Sasuke!' your breathing was haggard as you watched the scene in horror.

"Itachi, I advise against using your eyes so many times in a single day," the fish-man said leisurely from somewhere behind you.

"Ninpou Gama Guchi Shibari!" Jiraiya yelled.

The walls and the floor beneath you suddenly changed in anatomy. They became squishy and pink. The hallway suddenly turned humid.

"Too bad Itachi, Kisame…you are already inside my stomach!" Jiraiya said.

Sasuke was being sucked into the wall, or what used to be the wall as Jiraiya's jutsu took effect. Now only Sasuke's head was visible or assessable.

"Kisame," Itachi glanced over his shoulder at his companion, who nodded.

The two took off at a sprint, moving down the hallway perpendicular to the one you were in. Naruto and Jiraiya took off after the pair, passing you.

"They're gone!" Naruto exclaimed as they turned the corner.

You heard a commotion come from the other hallway, but you paid no mind. You were on your feet, rushing over to Sasuke. The tissue-like walls were turning back to normal and Sasuke was beginning to fall out of the wall. You were there to catch him as he fell forward. You placed him, sitting down, against the once again, normal wall.

You grabbed ahold of Sasuke's shoulders. "Sasuke, Sasuke!"

But the boy did not respond. His eyes were open but glazed over, unseeing. You heard a pair of footsteps rushing over to you, stopping behind you, but you didn't turn around. Your attention was strictly set on your black-haired teammate.

"Sasuke…" you whispered, your eyes shaking. You pulled him to you, hugging him tightly.

* * *

You stood outside the checkpoint entry gates to the village. Backpack strapped on his shoulders, Naruto stood beside Jiraiya and across from you. You stood beside Gai-sensei, who had shown up at the hotel soon after Itachi and Kisame had escaped. You carried Sasuke on your back, his head lying on your shoulder. A trail of blood was still dried on his chin. Gai-sensei had offered to carry Sasuke, since Sasuke was slightly taller than you, but you had declined.

You and Gai were now responsible for getting Sasuke to the hospital. Naruto and Jiraiya, however, were leaving Konoha. The two were on a mission to find another legendary sannin by the name of Tsunade. Not only was she to be offered the position of Hokage, she was the greatest medical ninja of the time. Jiraiya was positive she would be able to heal Sasuke, who would be out of commission forever unless she did. Itachi had placed a strong genjutsu on Sasuke, making him relive his worst memory on repeat until he could be healed.

"Please find Tsunade," you nearly pleaded to Naruto, speaking softly.

Naruto's sky blue eyes met yours. "We will. Take care of Sasuke, Nakao."

You nodded gently, feeling emotionally drained. "I will."

With that, Naruto and Jiraiya turned on their heels and set out on their journey. Gai waved, but you stood silent. You turned your head to look at Sasuke.

* * *

It was growing dark outside and you knew it was time to leave. A nurse would be here any moment and would kick you out. You stood beside Sasuke's hospital bed, staring down at him. A blanket was pulled up to his chin and his head rested on a pillow. It was all for comfort, but there was no comfort for Sasuke.

The room was completely silent, save for the steady beeping of Sasuke's heart monitor. The curtains of the window still hadn't been closed and the moonlight from outside leaked into the room, just slightly illuminating Sasuke's face. His face revealed nothing of the pain he was dealing with mentally.

"Naruto will find Tsunade," you whispered to Sasuke.

You had no idea how long it would take, how long you'd be without your teammate, but you estimated weeks. Tomorrow you'd have to find Sakura and tell her about Sasuke, but you didn't want to. You knew her concern would have her at Sasuke's beside every day until Naruto returned-and you didn't want that. You didn't want her here, keeping Sasuke to herself. You shook your head. What a silly thought.

Sighing, you leaned down, brushing your lips against Sasuke's cheek. "Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

Pulling away, you turned your back on Sasuke and headed to the door. Opening it, you glanced over your shoulder as the light from the hallway spilled into the room. Squeezing your eyes shut, you exited the room, closing the door behind you and leaving Sasuke's room in darkness.


	28. The Truth?

You escaped the heat of the day as you walked through the sliding doors of Konoha Hospital. The polished floor gleamed at you familiarly. By now, you could navigate the hospital with your eyes shut. You walked up to the receptionist desk.

"Ohiyo, Nakao," the nurse sitting beside the desk smiled at you.

"Good afternoon," you greeted with the slightest smile. You grabbed the clipboard sitting on the desk. The paper on the clipboard read **Visitor's Log**. You scribbled your name, date and time in the designated boxes. Your name was on this sheet at least four times. You looked to the name just above yours.

'Sakura's here…'

Setting the clipboard down, you made your journey to Sasuke's room. You always felt awkward when you were there at the same time as Sakura, but it was hard to avoid. Sakura tried to be in Sasuke's room as much as possible. You were beginning to think she might be skipping out on fixing the village in order to spend time with your unconscious teammate ever since you had informed her about Sasuke's condition.

_You had been searching for Sakura all morning; it wasn't an easy task tracking her down. Every day you were being moved around the village, fixing all kinds of things. You finally found her replanting the Academy's court yard._

_"Sakura!" you called, walking over to her._

_The kunoichi's head perked up at the sound of her name. Once she saw you, she got to her feet, meeting halfway. "Nakao? Is everything okay?"_

_"Actually Sakura, no," you said._

_Sakura's face filled with concern. "What's wrong?"_

_You sighed, bowing your head. "It's Sasuke…"_

_You heard Sakura suck in a breath. You glanced back up to see near panic on her face. "What happened?"_

_You shook your head. "It's not my place to tell you the details, but he's in the hospital. He's under a genjutsu."_

_"I don't understand…Sasuke can dispel genjutsu…" Sakura squeaked._

_"This is…a special kind of genjutsu. There's only one person who can fix it."_

_"Well where are they? Why haven't they fixed Sasuke yet!?" you could tell Sakura was near hysteria._

_"It's no one in the village. It's one of the legendary sannin, Tsunade. Naruto is bringing her to Konoha to heal Sasuke," you explained._

_Still, the concern didn't dissipate. "How long will that take?"_

_You shook your head again. "I don't know, weeks?"_

_Sakura bit her bottom lip as it quivered._

_"It's going to be okay, Sakura. Sasuke's going to be okay…"_

_But you didn't know who you were trying to convince. Her…or you?_

You reached Sasuke's door. Staring at it for a moment, you pushed it open, stepping inside. As you had predicted, Sakura was inside. She was sitting on a stool beside Sasuke's bed. When you entered the room, she glanced over at you.

"Hi, Sakura," you muttered walking over to the foot of Sasuke's bed. You stared down at him, sadly.

"He's so…still," Sakura said quietly. You could hear the unshed tears in her voice. She looked tired.

There was a quick knock on the door and it opened once more. "May I come in?"

You and Sakura turned your attention to the door. Standing in the doorway were two women. The woman in the back had short, dark brown hair and had a friendly smile on her face. The woman standing in front was just the opposite. She had long, golden hair pulled back into two pony tails. Long blonde hair framed her face. Her eyes were also a golden color. She was tall with an abnormally large bosom. All the same, she was gorgeous.

"Who are you…?" Sakura asked.

Naruto popped out from behind the woman, grinning. "Sakura-chan, he'll be alright! She's a great doctor!"

'Tsunade-sama…' Relief flooded your system.

Sakura got to her feet, bowing her head at Tsunade. "I heard from Nakao. Please…please help Sasuke-kun!"

You saw Tsunade's eyes flicker over at you. She grinned. "Alright! Leave it all to me!"

Tsunade walked over to Sasuke's bed, looking down at him. She placed her right palm gently on Sasuke's forehead. A soft, green light emanated from her hand. Everyone in the room watched intently until Tsunade pulled her hand away.

Tsunade look to you and Sakura in turn, a smile on her face. "He will wake up soon."

Sakura immediately began to tear up, nearly becoming an emotional wreck. So instead, you spoke up.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," you bowed your head. When you glanced back up, you found that Tsunade was watching you. There was a knowing look in her eyes, a smile on her pink lips. Without another word, Tsunade turned and her and her companion left the room.

Sakura turned back to Sasuke, hands clasped together in front of her heart as she waited. You turned to Naruto who was standing next to you. You smiled at him. "You did it Naruto. You brought her."

Naruto turned to you and smiled. Before he could respond, you reached over, wrapping him in a tight hug. You whispered in his ear. "Thank you."

When you pulled away, Naruto was watching you with astonishment. He seemed a little confused. Before he could respond, if he was going to, Sakura's cry caught your attention.

"Sasuke-kun!"

You and Naruto looked over to see that Sasuke had woken up. He had barely managed to sit himself up when Sakura hugged him around the neck. Tears were streaming down Sakura's face. Sasuke looked at Sakura, simply looking tired.

Despite Sakura's behavior, you were overcome with relief. Your eyes couldn't leave Sasuke's face. Sasuke slowly turned his head from Sakura, taking in the rest of the room. His vision finally came to rest on you. You glanced away from him, embarrassed.

"Sakura, can't you wait to rape Sasuke until after Naruto and I leave the room?" you said, still watching the ground.

Sakura just slightly pulled away from Sasuke. Tears sheened on her cheeks. She glared at you. "Shut up, Nakao. Don't make fun of me just because you're jealous."

You actually had to raise your head at this statement. Your eyes rested on Sakura, while three pairs of eyes rested on you. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're so obvious Nakao. Your feelings for Sasuke."

You felt your face grow warm but you glared at Sakura. "Don't be ridiculous. Your lack of sleep must be making you delusional."

"Sakura…Nakao…" Naruto started.

You put your hand up, signaling you didn't want to hear it. Instead, you turned on your heel, walking over to the door. Walking out, you slammed the door behind you.

* * *

"Stupid Sakura," you muttered, kicking a small stone across the dirt road.

The sun was sinking below the horizon now and the sky was a bluish-purple color. The first stars were beginning to pop up across the sky. It was quiet out now, for most of the village had closed up shop and retired for the evening. The only noise around you was the scuffing of your sandals on dirt and the rustling leaves of the trees around you.

You wandered off the main dirt road towards a familiar clearing. Three tall posts could be seen on the far end of the clearing, but you weren't headed for them. Instead, you stopped dead-center of the clearing, standing before the monument sitting there. Now that the moon was poking out, it cast a shiny look upon the glossy, black K.I.A. stone.

Hands in your pockets, you simple stared down at the stone. In the recent chaos, many new names had been added to the stone. You quickly picked out your brother's name; it seemed to pop out at you. Quite a few lines above your brother's were your parents' names. You could find their engraved names without needing to search. You had spent your fair amount of time standing in front of this stone as a kid.

You missed your brother dearly. You were still getting used to the fact that he was gone and he was never coming back. It was hard to come to terms with, but you often got through the day by just pushing him to the back of your mind. You spent your time working hard on the village or worrying about Sasuke, and it kept you distracted enough to not think about Keitaro.

You no longer wore your headband on your arm. Instead, tied around your left, was your brother's headband. Yours was folded nearly in the weapon pouch around your waist, but you felt that wearing his headband could keep his memory alive. The thought had already crossed your mind that, that might be a little creepy, but you dismissed the thought. In your mind, you were honoring him, and that's what mattered to you.

"I thought I might find you here."

Your bowed head jerked upwards and you pivoted to look behind you. A figure was walking towards you, hands in their pockets. You had been so deep in thought that you hadn't heard or sensed them walk up to you.

"Sasuke?" you questioned as he stopped before you. "What are you doing here? They let you out of the hospital."

Sasuke gave a slight nod, but turned his head away from you. "I had no injuries, there was no reason to be there."

"Oh…so I take it Sakura didn't rape you then?"

Sasuke turned his head to you again. You couldn't tell if it was amusement playing in his eyes or annoyance over your stupidity. If you knew Sasuke at all, you'd say it was a mixture of both.

"So what time did they let you out?" you continued the conversation, looking back to the large stone.

"Several hours ago."

"Hm…" you nodded. A moment of silence passed between the two of you before you glanced up and over to the Uchiha. "So what did you want?"

"I came to tell you that you're an idiot."

Your eye twitched. "I already know that. Trust me, you've implanted that in my mind. If you want, I can give you a piece of paper so you can write it down, then you'll never have to tell me again."

Sasuke glanced at you, annoyed. He glanced away before he spoke again. "When I tell you to stay back, I mean that you need to stay back."

_In the meantime, you disobeyed Sasuke's demands and dashed over to him. He now lay on the hard ground, breathing heavily. You so wanted to drop to your knees, comfort him and make sure he was okay, but there was no time. You instead slid in front of him, keeping your body between him and Itachi._

"Well how am I supposed to piss you off if I don't ignore you?" you asked.

Sasuke sighed. "You're hopeless."

"I'm over it," you replied.

Silently, the two of you turned your heads to stare at one another. You held each other's gaze, but it wasn't awkward like you'd expect it to be. At least…until you remembered that Sasuke had been awake earlier.

_You actually had to raise your head at this statement. Your eyes rested on Sakura, while three pairs of eyes rested on you. "What are you talking about?"_

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're so obvious Nakao. Your feelings for Sasuke."_

_You felt your face grow warm but you glared at Sakura. "Don't be ridiculous. Your lack of sleep must be making you delusional."_

You blushed and immediately tore your gaze from Sasuke, staring at the ground. "Well, goodnight Sasuke. I have to get up early to fix the village."

Before Sasuke could respond, you quickly walked away from him. Why did Sasuke stir such emotion inside of you? He made you happy, nervous and angry all at the same time. You glanced over your shoulder to see that Sasuke was not watching you leave, but had turned his attention to the K.I.A. stone.

You returned your vision forward, sighing. 'Oh Keitaro…what's happened to me?'


	29. Gotta See! Gotta Know!

A bird squawked overhead, briefly blocking out the sun.

Eyes squinted, Naruto turned around to face you, Sakura and Sasuke, a sneaky smile on his face. He put a hand to one side of his mouth, kind of like he was cupping it. He spoke quietly, but loud enough for you and your teammates to hear him. "Say, don't you want to see it? He's been hiding it from us long enough already."

"See what?" Sasuke asked, conveying with his voice to Naruto that he was an idiot.

"See what? Isn't it obvious?" Naruto grabbed a flashlight from the pouch around his waist and turned it on, pointing it upwards at the bottom of chin. The affect was that Naruto's face was illuminated creepily like he was telling a ghost story. He grinned maniacally. "Kakashi-sensei's real face!"

Naruto had leaned in towards Sakura's face during his dramatic little speech and she jumped, startled when Naruto yelled out that last sentence. Recovering, she angrily punched Naruto on the top of the head, sending him sprawling on the ground. "What do you think you're doing!?"

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose as you watched your two idiot teammates. Sasuke, who was standing to your left,'humphed' and turned his back on the two, hands dug deep in his pockets. "What nonsense. I'm not interested. We finished our mission for the day, so let's go home."

Naruto got to his feet, narrowing his eyes and frowning at the Uchiha. Sakura, on the other hand, blushed and looked at Sasuke like he was God. "You're right."

You sighed, tilting your head back slightly. "I'm going to have to agree with Sasuke. I don't want to spend any more time with Sakura than necessary."

As Sakura angrily glared over at you, hands clenched into fists at her sides, Naruto turned away from her, watching Sasuke walk away. He put his hand near his mouth again, like he was telling a secret. "Maybe he has thick lips?"

Hands laced behind your head, you pivoted to watch Sasuke's reaction. To your surprise, he had stopped dead in his tracks, like he was frozen in time. Naruto snickered. He continued. "Maybe he has buckteeth?"

Your eyes rolled to the top right, imagining Kakashi-sensei with his perverted book in front of his face like usual. But as Kakashi lowered his book, buckteeth popped out of his mouth and he grinned stupidly. You shifted your eyes at the revelation. Naruto _did _have a point. What _was _behind Kakashi-sensei's mask? What was he hiding?

Naruto grinned slyly, knowing he had everyone onboard.

* * *

"It's really unusual for all three of you to treat me," Kakashi-sensei said, arms crossed over his chest as he peered over at you and your teammates.

It was lunchtime as the five of you sat in Ichiraku's ramen shop. Kakashi-sensei sat at the end of your line. Naruto, Sakura, you and Sasuke all sat in a row beside one another, in that order. You each smiled innocently at Kakashi, except for Sasuke. Sasuke simply watched your teacher, his chin resting on laced fingers, his elbows upon the bar.

"Here you go," the cook placed a large, steaming bowl of ramen in front of Kakashi-sensei.

"Maybe it's going to snow…" Kakashi-sensei jerked his head upwards; raising his hands like he was ready to karate-chop something. Slowly, he glanced down to the bar where there was a cup of chopsticks. Carefully, he reached for a pair, seeming nervous. "Or are you scheming something?"

As Kakashi-sensei glanced to the four of you suspiciously, you all grew nervous. Even Sasuke semi-smiled innocently this time. You rubbed the back of your head, laughing nervously. "You're just being paranoid, Sensei."

"Yeah, it's just to celebrate you getting out of the hospital," Sakura laughed, motioning with her hands. "N-now eat up!"

"I see. Then I think I'll eat," Kakashi-sensei announced, sitting up straight and staring down at his bowl.

"We've given you extra meat," the pretty girl behind the counter smiled.

As Kakashi-sensei broke apart his chopsticks, you and your teammates sat rigid, eyes trained on your sensei. Kakashi slowly grabbed the edge of his mask, ready to pull it down…

"Ahhh! Sasuke!"

Suddenly, Sasuke was pushed down on the bar, via Ino tackling him, a blush on her cheeks. Chouji and Shikamaru had joined her, grinning and waving at you, Sakura and Naruto. The three of them perfectly blocked your view of Kakashi-sensei.

"AH!" you cried, grabbing at your head.

"Get lost, Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled.

"What'd you say!?"

"I can't see!"

A commotion erupted within the tent. There were so many limbs flying around you could hardly tell yourself what was going on.

"Thank you for the food. That was good."

"Huh?" the rumble stopped and everyone froze.

Sakura and Ino were pushing at one another. Sasuke had his arms chock-held around Chouji's neck while Naruto had Chouji's arm in a vice. You had one arm wrapped around Shikamaru's neck as he had a hand pushed against your cheek. With wide eyes, everyone watched Kakashi.

"So fast…" you, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke muttered in unison.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he turned his head at your group. Apparently he had missed the commotion going on whilst he was eating.

You, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all grinned nervously. Sakura let out a nervous laugh. "It's nothing!"

At that moment, your attention was caught by the two behind the counter. The girl had hearts in her eyes as she stared at Kakashi-sensei in admiration. Even the middle-aged cook had a blush on his cheeks.

"I really want to know," you and your three teammates groaned all at once.

* * *

A bird squawked overhead, briefly blocking out the sun.

Eyes squinted, Naruto turned around to face you, Sakura and Sasuke, a sneaky smile on his face. He put a hand to one side of his mouth, kind of like he was cupping it. He spoke quietly, but loud enough for you and your teammates to hear him. "Now I want to see it no matter what."

"But how are you going to catch a glimpse at it?" Sakura asked skeptically. You and Sasuke stood behind her, arms crossed over your chests.

"That is…" Naruto grabbed a flashlight from the pouch around his waist and turned it on, pointing it upwards at the bottom of chin. The affect was that Naruto's face was illuminated creepily like he was telling a ghost story. He grinned maniacally. "Do something about it!"

Naruto had leaned in towards Sakura's face during his dramatic little speech and she jumped, startled when Naruto yelled out that last sentence. Recovering, she angrily punched Naruto on the top of the head, sending him sprawling on the ground. "It's this 'something' that I'm asking about, you idiot!"

Naruto sat up, rubbing at his head. "Then do you have an idea, Sakura?"

"Well that's…" Sakura trailed off, having no idea. You rolled your eyes.

Sasuke turned his back on the two, hands in his pockets. His eyes were shut as he spoke up confidently. "Well pursue him. Mark him completely. If we do that, he'll eventually take off his mask."

"Isn't that border-line stalking?" you asked, raising an eyebrow. Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance at Sasuke.

Sakura blushed, nearly squealing as she praised the Uchiha. "As expected from Sasuke-kun, you're smart!"

"What the hell is that? That's a really basic plan," Naruto said aggravated, watching Sasuke with the same annoyed face as before.

"Did I hear something!?" Sakura glared, practically shoving her face against Naruto as her hands sat angrily on her hips.

"Well, it's fine," Naruto nearly squeaked out in fear.

You slapped a hand against your forehead.

* * *

You and your teammates had now taken to stalking your sensei. Or as Sasuke put it: "marking him". That just reminded you of a dog marking territory and it crept you out. Regardless, the four of you sat atop a rooftop, carefully peering over the edge. On the dirt road below, walking with a paper bag full of groceries, was Kakashi-sensei.

You watched as Kakashi-sensei walked past a book shop and suddenly stopped. Practically dropping his bag of groceries, he dashed to the window of the store, gazing at the books longingly. You twitched from your position because the books he was looking at you couldn't purchase legally at your age. You could risk your life for your country, but not by smut novels. Some world, huh?

'Focus, Nakao!' you chided yourself.

"What is Kakashi-sensei doing?" Naruto muttered, confused.

Just as he did, Kakashi-sensei's head finally whipped around, staring in your direction.

"Shit!" you whispered as the four of you ducked.

"He noticed us!" Sasuke whispered.

"Naruto, you idiot! You blew our cover!" Sakura hissed.

"What!? It's not my fault!" Naruto whispered back.

"Both of you, quiet!" you whispered as loud as you dared.

Kakashi-sensei turned fully around and stood as though he was in odd. "What!? Made into a movie!? I'm going to go reserve tickets!"

You and your teammates poked your heads up as Kakashi-sensei dashed away. You stared curiously as he rounded a corner.

"He's started moving!" Sakura said.

"Let's follow him," Sasuke responded.

Without another word, the four of you jumped down from you spot on the roof, quickly rounding the same corner Kakashi-sensei had only moments prior. But when you four came to a stop, you gasped.

"He's gone!" you gasped.

"He got away," Sasuke said, almost like he couldn't believe it.

"Dammit, where'd he go?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"What are you four doing?"

The four of you screeched in surprise. Timidly, you each craned your necks to find Kakashi-sensei standing directly behind you, bag of groceries in hand.

"Do you want something from me?" Kakashi asked.

"N-No! Nothing!" you all said quickly, rapidly shaking your heads.

* * *

Eyes squinted, Naruto turned around to face you, Sakura and Sasuke, but there was no smile on his face this time. Instead, Naruto's expression was a mix between annoyance and pouting. "Say, why were we noticed?"

"That's because there's too many of us," Sakura responded, just as annoyed as Naruto. You and Sasuke stood behind her, arms crossed over your chests.

"What? If we mask our presence, numbers won't matter," Naruto grabbed a flashlight from the pouch around his waist and turned it on, pointing it upwards at the bottom of chin. The affect was that Naruto's face was illuminated creepily like he was telling a ghost story. He grinned maniacally. "Or is that you forgot how to, Sakura?"

"You're the one who's forgotten!" she angrily punched Naruto on the top of the head, sending him sprawling on the ground.

"Pinkie might actually be right on this one," you said hesitantly, glancing at Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura glared at you, annoyed.

"Following him will be good training," Sasuke agreed, hands in his pockets and he turned his back on Sakura and Naruto once more. "Next time, we'll go one at a time."

"You're right, let's leave Naruto and Nakao," Sakura tried, blushing merrily at Sasuke's back.

"Nani!?" Naruto exclaimed, bolting into a sitting position.

"Keep dreaming, Sakura!" you twitched at her, thrusting a finger in her direction.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon trudged on slowly. It was agreed upon that you would all take turns trailing Kakashi-sensei. Naruto was up first, then Sakura, you and Sasuke last. The three that wouldn't be trailing would stay together until the other teammate came back. Your team decided to set up base outside of a sweets shop. It was out of main street traffic and there was a bench beneath a tree outside so you wouldn't bake in the sun.

You, Sasuke and Sakura sat side-by-side, drinking tea as Naruto was away. He came back only an hour later.

"You lost him," you guess, you lips in a thin line.

"Clumsy as ever," Sakura sighed.

"You dumbass," Sasuke said.

Naruto sighed and bowed his head in defeat.

While Sakura was away, Naruto got a cup of tea for himself and sat beside you on the bench. The three of you mostly remained quiet the entire time, simply sipping on your tea, each in your own thoughts. Drizzle passed over the area, but it only lasted for about a half an hour and the tree blocked most of the water from hitting you. Just as the rain dissipated, Sakura returned, scratching her cheek embarrassed. You, Sasuke and Naruto sighed.

Next, it was your turn. You finally tracked down Kakashi-sensei leaving what appeared to be a bar. You stood against the side of the building, peering around the corner. You twitched.

Kakashi-sensei had each arm around a young woman. Both seemed in their early twenties and were giggling and blushing at Kakashi. You waited for the three to walk further down the street before you followed. You cushioned the soles of your feet with chakra as to not be heard as you scurried after the trio.

Kakashi and the ladies finally came to a stop outside of a building. Kakashi must have said something hilarious because the girls threw their heads back laughing. You hid behind some bushes, watching Kakashi-sensei intensely.

'If he wants to kiss them, he'll _have _to take his mask off' you figured, feeling slightly crept out that you'd have to witness your sensei doing such a thing.

You watched intensely as Kakashi slowly raised a hand. You were on edge, your heart fluttering. Was this it? Would you finally see what Kakashi-sensei was hiding beneath that blue cloth? The suspense was killing you!

Kakashi-sensei raised his hand to his face…and waved to a man who now peeped his head out of the door the trio stood next to.

"Kakashi!" the man grinned and stepped back, opening the door.

Kakashi smiled, greeting the man and disappeared into the building with the girls. Mouth dropped open, you quickly scurried out of the bushes, dashing over to the door, but just as you reached it, it slammed in your face. You were now left staring at a piece of red paper reading **NO ADMITANCE TO THOSE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE**. Your eye twitched. Thwarted.

You trudged back to your team members. As you neared the bench, they all glanced up to you, their eyebrows raised expectantly. Embarrassed, you rubbed the back of your head with your hand, turning it away. The three groaned.

You took Sasuke's seat as he got up, ready for his turn. He returned an hour later, empty-handed. "Sasuke-kun, how'd it go?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke simply turned his head away from your group. "I quit. I'm done trailing him."

The four of you sighed in unison, dropping your heads in disappointment.

* * *

"We're off!" Naruto exclaimed, punching his fists in the air as he turned around, facing the rest of your team.

You, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi-sensei had just passed through the village gates and out into the outskirts of the village. The four of you came to a halt as Naruto grinned excitedly. You, Sakura and Sasuke all glanced sneakily at Kakashi-sensei, who was busy looking up into the sky. Your mission was to go help out on a ranch, but you, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were far more interested in your own mission.

'Seeing Kakashi-sensei's true face!'

Finally noticing the stares he was receiving from his four pupils, Kakashi-sensei glanced to each of you, confused. "What's with you guys? You seem eager today."

"We're really eager!" Sakura and Naruto chanted, smirking and raising a fist. You and Sasuke stood calmly, hands in the pockets of your pants.

"Oh, that's nice," Kakashi-sensei smiled beneath his mask before walking ahead of your group, leading the way.

* * *

"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!"

You and your three comrades stood back, concerned and slightly scared. You twitched, watching the small woman in front of you. She was no taller than four feet and was probably in her mid-fifties. Her gray hair was pulled up in a bun atop her head and she wore a simple kimono. She was smiling from ear to ear, scrambling side-ways to and fro in front of your horizontal line.

Your team had decided to stop for the night at a comfortable-looking inn. The woman happily brought your team inside, not before you and your teammates glanced at each other with quirked eyebrows. The odd feelings dissipated, however, when the woman lead you into a dining room. Sitting in the middle of the elegant room was a long table filled with foods. There were sides of all kinds from rice to fish to dumplings. Your team was immediately seated.

"Amazing!" Sakura squealed, smiling over the table.

Naruto, who sat next to her, leaned as close to the food as he could get without touching it, his fingers twitching. You could practically see the drool forming around his mouth. "This looks delicious!"

"It's so grand," Kakashi-sensei noted calmly.

You, who were sitting on the far end of the table near Sasuke, looked upon the table with glee. You were far more reserved about it, however, and sat calmly, eyes glued to the sushi sitting a foot away from you.

"Take your time!" the woman said in her high-pitched voice before leaving the five of you alone in the room.

Despite how hungry you, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were, and despite how absolutely delicious the food looked, the four of you refused to dig in. The four of you were all waiting for Kakashi-sensei to eat. None of you wanted to begin eating and happen to miss out on Kakashi-sensei eating as lightning-quick as he apparently does.

Kakashi, as clever as he was, noticed. He glanced to the four of you in turn. "What's wrong? You're not eating."

"Oh, nothing," Sakura smiled as sweetly as she could. "Why don't you eat, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Oh, I'm on diet right now, so…" Kakashi replied.

Your eye twitched. "Are you joking?"

"No," Kakashi smiled, his visible eye shutting in glee as he did so. You twitched harder.

"You know, Kakashi-sensei, dieting isn't good for you, and it's completely ineffective. I mean, look at Sakura," you gestured to the girl.

You could see the pure hatred for you in Sakura's glance, but she amazingly managed to keep smiling at Kakashi. Still, Kakashi didn't reach for his chopsticks.

'Is he on to us?' you wondered, watching Kakashi-sensei intently.

Across the table, you noticed Naruto reach over with his left hand, grabbing a nearby teapot.

"Opps, my hand slipped!" Naruto said, chucking the teapot towards Kakashi-sensei.

Your eye twitched. 'Seriously?'

The lid flew off of the teapot as it flew towards Kakashi-sensei, some of the liquid starting to fly out. You assumed Naruto's plan was to soak Kakashi's mask, prompting him to take it off. A long shot. In the end, Naruto's planned failed.

See, instead of Kakashi simply ducking out of the way like a normal person might do, he grabbed the table and flipped it so that it acted like a shield in front of him. The teapot hit the table and bounced off, landing on the floor. It joined all of the food that now lay in a mushy pile on the floor.

Your team immediately reacted. You all cried out, grabbing at your heads. Naruto actually screamed.

"What did you do!?" Sakura cried.

"Oh sorry, I just unintentionally…" Kakashi-sensei tried.

"Don't 'unintentionally' me!" your group screamed together, raising fists at your sensei as you all glared. It was creepy how that kept happening.

As Kakashi-sensei replaced the table, you and your other three teammates joined together, putting your heads together, literally.

"What do we do now?" Sakura whispered.

"Relax, I have an idea," Sasuke said calmly, glancing at you, Sakura and Naruto.

"An idea?" Sakura and Naruto echoed in unison.

"I hope it's better than your last idea," you muttered.

Sasuke only smirked.

"Oh this is bullshit," you complained, arms crossed over your chest.

* * *

Sasuke's genius plan was to lure Kakashi-sensei into the hot springs baths that were behind the compound. After all, you take a mask off in a bath, don't you? The plan really would have been genius…if the baths were gender specified!

A wooden wall divided the men's and women's baths. Sasuke and Naruto were on the other side, getting to see what was behind Kakashi-sensei's mask. You and Sakura were stuck on the other side, only being able to wonder.

"Aw, I wanted to see too," Sakura pouted. She dunked herself into the water up to her nose where she breathed bubbles into the water.

"Yeah," you had to agree somberly.

The baths were pretty deep and the water rose up to your chests. You had white towels wrapped around your bodies since the two of you really weren't into skinny-dipping with one another. Steam rose up from the hot water, casting the entire area around you in what looked like fog.

You were leaning against one of the sides of the bath, which was made out of stone seeing as the baths were natural. You had an elbow resting on a tiny ledge and your chin was in your palm. Your hair was tied up into a ponytail to keep it from getting wet. The wisps of hair that framed your face were gently sticking to your skin due to the moisture in the air.

"Kakashi-sensei, ready yet?" you heard Naruto call from the other side of the wall.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," you heard Kakashi reply.

Both yours and Sakura's heads perked up at this.

"What? I want to see too!" Sakura whispered, quickly swimming up next to you. For in the wall beside you, was a small hole. Sakura climbed up onto the rocks, pushing her face up against the wood in an attempt to peek through the hole.

Your eye twitched. "Are you sure it's Kakashi-sensei's face you want to see, or Sasuke?"

"I can't see anything!" Sakura only cried in dismay. She probably hadn't answered your question because you were probably right.

"Alright, just for a little bit," you heard Kakashi say along with the quiet slush of displaced water.

It was silent for a moment before there were two large splashes.

"Why did it turn out like this!?" you heard Naruto groan.

"What happened? I want to see!" Sakura complained.

"Get down here you peeper," you told Sakura. "There's no use. Even if you could see through that hole, the steam is too thick. Besides, what if Kakashi-sensei isn't wearing a towel?"

This immediately drove Sakura away from the wall and you noticed her muscles twitch. You let out a laugh.

* * *

"Come again! Come again! Come again! Come again!" the little woman called out from behind you as your team set off.

Kakashi-sensei, seeming happy and well rested, was leading the group. You and the rest of your teammates, however, trailed sluggishly, looking dismayed. This whole endeavor with Kakashi's face was tiring and disappointing. Your moods didn't lift when you finally reached the ranch.

"Alright everyone, go to your post and start working," Kakashi-sensei announced. "Move out!"

You and your teammates stared at the ranch in front of you. It was a vast amount of land, populated by horses and mounds of hay. The horses turned to look at you, their faces seeming almost mocking. You looked on with annoyance. You didn't own a ranch for this very reason. You were a ninja, not a rancher.

As Kakashi-sensei walked off to find a shady tree to read under, you and your remaining teammates, once again, put your heads together. Your faces weren't as determined as last time, however. This time, you all looked exhausted and there were bags under your eyes.

"I can't go on much longer. I'm stressed out," Naruto muttered.

"I'm almost at my limit too," Sasuke admitted, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

"To tell you the truth, I'm done too," Sakura said, glancing over at Sasuke.

You rubbed at your face sleepily. "I agree. Unless we ambush Kakashi-sensei and tear his mask off, I don't think we're ever going to know what's under it."

"That's it!" Naruto grinned.

You looked to him wearily. "What?"

"You don't seriously think this is going to work, do you?" you asked skeptically, eyebrow raised as you crossed your arms.

Naruto's plan was to dress up as foreign ninja, using costumes that he had found in the bath locker rooms. You found this to be completely unsanitary. They were gray suits with a darker gray vest. They had hoods that covered everything except the face; which is where the metal head protector rested. The emblem was a question mark. A black mask just like Kakashi-sensei's covered the bottom half of the face so that only the eyes were showing.

There had only been three suits so you eagerly volunteered to sit this one out. Who knew where those things had been? You watched the three in front of you with a frown. The suits were entirely too big and completely obvious. Sakura's and Sasuke's bangs were too long and they poked outside of the hood. Like Kakashi-sensei wouldn't notice the pink hair…

"What are these?" Sakura asked. Naruto had stated that he had found the suits, but that was all. You only assumed they were foreign ninja suits. The headband gave it away.

"Isn't it obvious? They're ninja uniforms," Naruto replied.

"What are we going to do in them?" Sasuke asked.

"We'll rip off his mask by force!" Naruto proclaimed excitedly, raising a fist.

You sighed. "I don't know you guys…"

Naruto simply waved off your concern. "Nakao, you're going to go work next to Kakashi-sensei, so he doesn't suspect that it's us."

You sighed, holding your hands up in defeat. "Fine."

You walked across the pasture to Kakashi-sensei. He was busy nailing together a wooden fence. When you reached Kakashi, he lifted his head and smiled. "Hi, Nakao. How are you liking the mission?"

"Oh, it's a blast," you said sarcastically before pointing to a paint can at his feet. "Do we need to paint the fence?"

Kakashi looked down to the can. "Yes, I was going to get to that after I finished putting it together."

"I'll do it," you said, picking up the can by the handle and grabbing the paint brush next to it. No sooner had you begun painting when you heard running footsteps.

"Hey, Hatake Kakashi!"

Both you and Kakashi-sensei turned around to find Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto grouped together.

"Ah, oh no, enemy ninja," you said without emotion, raising your hands, and paintbrush, in surrender.

"Huh? What happened to you three?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

Naruto took a step forward, raising his fist. "What are you talking about? We're just ordinary ninja! It's not that we want to see what's under the mask or anything…"

You wanted so desperately to slap your forehead, but with a paint brush in your hand, you forced yourself not to.

Sakura rushed forwards, pushing Naruto in the back, causing him to fall down on his face. "Bakka! Don't be saying anything unnecessary!"

Just as she did so, a blur from the corner of your eye caught your attention. You turned to see three men jump down near your group. They wore uniforms identical to the ones Naruto had found.

"Hold it right there!" one of them demanded, pointing his finger at Kakashi. He seemed to be the leader of the group. He laughed. "Kakashi, it's about time we settle things…"

The man pulled out a purple bottle as his two companions struck poses behind him. He held the bottle out. "…With this poison I created that will make you cry forever-"

Before he could finish, however, the man dropped the bottle, it shattering on the ground upon impact. His mouth hung open. You turned to see that Kakashi had tied your three teammates together with rope and was holding them with one hand above his head. You hadn't even noticed him do it. You sweatdropped.

"Phew, I was wondering how much longer you'd be sneaking around in the shadows," Kakashi-sensei addressed the group, setting down your teammates. "But you've finally come out."

"But before that…Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke," Kakashi turned his attention down to them. "Why are you wearing that?"

"Well, um, you see…" Naruto stuttered, sweat running down his face.

Sakura suddenly thrust an arm out of the bind, pointing to the new trio. "You fell for it! We knew that you were after Kakashi-sensei all along!"

"What!? Then you were aware of our plan from the beginning!?" the eccentric leader of the trio exclaimed.

You watched the scene amused. 'Wow Sakura, nice thinking.'

"Of course! This was trap to lure you guys out. You fell for it," Sakura continued.

"I walked right into a trap!" the trio couldn't believe it. They were visibly shaking. "Dammit! I underestimated you guys because you were kids!"

"I don't quite get it, but oh well," Kakashi said, scratching his forehead. He turned to look at you. "What about you Nakao?"

"Oh, um," you snapped to attention, caught off guard. "I was here to watch their backs, just in case they tried anything sneaky. I was watching out of the corner of my eyes the whole time!"

"Oh…well…" Kakashi-sensei shrugged before walking towards the 'enemy' ninja.

You shifted your eyes before moving over to your teammates. You sliced through their ropes with a kunai, setting them free.

Frightened, the men scurried away from Kakashi-sensei several feet before they realized escape was futile! They fell to their knees, bowing excessively to Kakashi. "Please forgive us!"

Kakashi-sensei stood before them, hands on his hips. He sounded stern when talking but you had been around your sensei enough to hear the amusement behind his words. "There is no use talking."

"P-Please stop!" the men pleaded, now clinging to one another.

Kakashi made quick work of the men by tying them together with rope, then hanging them from a tree branch. They swung back and forth. "This is the same as what happened three years ago!"

"Come to think of it, who are you?" Kakashi asked, turning to face the men.

The men practically cried. "He doesn't even remember us!"

You snickered, watching from a distance.

* * *

"Say, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto started.

The five of you were on your journey home. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, casting everything in an orange hue.

Kakashi turned around to face the four of you, lowering his book. "Huh?"

"What's under the mask?" Naruto asked.

"What? You wanted to see what's under the mask?" Kakashi-sensei asked. "Then you should have said so earlier."

"Then you'll show us?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Sure."

The four of you immediately crammed together in a line; Sakura, Naruto, you and Sasuke in that order. Your bodies were touching one another, your heads nearly touching as well.

"What's all the commotion?" Kakashi seemed genuinely confused. With his left hand, he reached up, taking a hold of his mask. "Well alright then…"

You and your teammates watched, fixated on Kakashi-sensei's face. Your mouths hung open, your minds waiting. Your eyes shook. 'What could it be? Is it thick lips? Or buck teeth? Or a small mouth?'

"Under this mask is…" Kakashi-sensei began to peel down the mask. "Another mask!"

The four of you cried out as you gazed at the other mask covering Kakashi's face. You all fell backwards, feet in the air as Kakashi laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"What's up with that!?" you all cried out in dismay.

A bird squawked overhead.


	30. A Deadly New Mission

It was a sunny day in Konoha. When you had awoken this morning, it had seemed the same as any other day. Yet, today was far more exciting. Today, instead of having to work on the village, you and your teammates were getting sent on a mission.

"Alright! A mission! A mission!" Naruto voiced your thoughts, pumping his fists in the air.

You, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were gathered in the Hokage's office. You stood in front of her desk in a horizontal line. From her eyes, it was Sasuke, you, Naruto and Sakura. However, the Hokage was still MIA and you were staring at her empty chair.

"I'm going to give it everything I have!" Naruto continued. Sasuke 'hmphed' from beside you, prompting a glare from Naruto.

"But I don't see Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, glancing about herself.

"Is he going to be late as usual?" Naruto complained.

"Probably," you shrugged, hands tucked in the pockets of your pants.

"No, Kakashi won't be coming," a voice answered.

You and your teammates glanced up to see that Tsunade had entered the room. She was followed closely by her assistant Shizune. In Shizune's arms was a small pig dressed in a little outfit.

"Tsunade-sama!" Naruto greeted.

Tsunade took a seat at her desk like assigning you a mission was such a chore. Shizune stood behind her.

"Hokage-sama, what do you mean Kakashi-sensei won't be coming?" Sakura asked, hands clasped in front of her hips.

"As you probably already know, Kakashi and most of the jounins are on a different mission. We will just have the four of you complete the mission this time," Tsuande explained, her golden-colored eyes set on your group. She held up a scroll that had been sitting on her desk. "This is a B-ranked mission. You four will guard an important figure."

"Guard an important figure?" Sakura repeated.

You raised an eyebrow skeptically. Last time you had been told this, you had been sent to guard an old man would tricked you into a very dangerous mission.

"Of course, depending on the situation, it could also be classified as an A-ranked mission," Tsunade added.

Your lips twisted in a frown. 'Great. That means this is a life-or-death mission. My favorite.'

"And? Who are we guarding?" Sasuke asked, seemingly bored.

"No clue."

"What do you mean 'no clue'?" Naruto asked, arms held out in a shrug.

"In the allied Country of Tea, there is an event called the Todoroki Taisha dedication ceremony held once every four years. We have accepted a mission to guard the runner who will run in the race at the ceremony," Tsunade explained as her eyes moved back and forth across the now-open scroll. "However, the messengers were defeated by an opponent's spy before they arrived here."

"A spy?" Naruto echoed.

"Um, I don't quite see the point yet," Sakura said.

"This race must be so important that opponents are willing to do whatever it takes to win," you guessed, glancing over to your pink-haired teammate.

"Well, for further details, go ask Boss Jirochou of the Country of Tea," Tsunade nearly sighed, closing her eyes.

"Boss Jirochou?" Naruto mumbled, as though he was trying to recall the name from his memory. Finally, he remembered. "Aha! I see, you mean that Boss from back then!"

"That's how it," Tsunade confirmed, getting to her feet. You glanced between the pair, confused. Tsunade promptly pointed to the door. "Now get going; they're expecting you there by the end of the day!"

"Hai!" the four of you chanted before sprinting off to prepare for the mission.

The four of you had been making your way to the Land of Tea for quite some time now. At least the dirt path there was scenic. There was no air of trouble and the only things stirring were the leaves on the trees and the small rodents dashing about the forestry. Your team members hadn't been conversing much over the trip because…well…they're your teammates, so when Naruto finally spoke up hours later, it was a welcome relief to the boredom.

"Sakura, Nakao," Naruto glanced over his shoulder to each of you in turn. He and Sasuke were walking as a pair in front of you and Sakura. "Are you guys hungry at all?"

You only shrugged; you could always stand to eat. Sakura seemed to think about it for a second, putting a finger to her lips before slowly responding. "Hmm, a little bit maybe."

"Hey, good idea!" Naruto immediately pumped his fist into the air with a grin on his face. "Lunch break! And hey, what a coincidence, there just happens to be a tea house right there!"

You glanced ahead to see what Naruto had said was correct. Just slightly ahead was a tiny restaurant housed between trees.

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura shouted after him as he made a mad dash to the tea house.

* * *

"What will you be having?" your waitress asked kindly. She was a portly, middle-aged woman with mousey brown hair pulled up into a bun. She wore a green dress with a white apron tied over it.

"Some sweet pea soup!" Naruto ordered excitedly as the waitress set a mug of steaming hot tea in front of each of you.

"Ewww," you commented, wrinkling your nose at Naruto. He and Sakura were sitting across the table from you and Sasuke.

"I'll have the dumplings please," Sakura looked across the table to Sasuke. "And you Sasuke?"

You scoffed. Couldn't the boy order for himself? But your annoyed gesture went unnoticed.

"Just rice," Sasuke responded, not even glancing at the waitress.

"How boring," you told Sasuke jokingly before glancing to the waitress with a small smile. "I'll have your traditional Bento please."

"Very well, I'll be back in the moment," the waitress replied, holding the tray she had been using to carry your mugs across her chest and walking back to the kitchen.

As soon as she did so, Naruto slumped forward in his seat, placing his chin in the palms of his hands, almost like he was pouting.

"It's not going to take that long for the food, Naruto," you raised an eyebrow at him, reaching across Sasuke to grab a sugar packet from his side of the table.

"It's not that," Naruto immediately perked up as you poured the sugar into your tea. "I'm just thinking about the mission! I hope we can get some fighting in!"

You stirred your tea, watching bored as Sakura lectured your teammate. "Don't you dare go overboard and making trouble, Naruto; not this time."

"I won't," Naruto pouted like a chastised child. Just as he did so, a shadow loomed over you.

You glanced to your right, to the aisle, to find someone standing right beside you. It was a male, maybe in his very early twenties. He was wearing a short cloak that reached to his knees. He was wearing leg-bands around his shins. His hair was the same color as yours and was pulled back into a ponytail. Thick bangs framed his face.

"Just sitting around in the shade, sucking down sweet bean soup? A ninja's life is pretty cushy," the stranger said, his attention directed at the door behind you.

The rest of your teammates had glanced over as well. You and Naruto glared.

"What?" you hissed.

"I guess you don't get much action in the leaf village," the stranger continued. He spoke with a toothpick between his lips. He turned his face to your group with a smirk. "Judging by out of shape you look."

"That does it!" you and Naruto shouted, both slamming a hand down on the table top at the same time and jumping to your feet.

"Oh hey there, I didn't see you there, Sweetie," the boy's dark brown eyes were suddenly focused on you.

You were immediately taken aback. "Wait, what?"

"I didn't mean _you_ of course. I'm Morino Idate," the boy leaned towards you. He was quite a bit taller and was able to place a hand on the table top near yours and still be face to face with you. He was so close you could feel his breath on your face. He smiled, seemingly charmingly. "So what do they call you?"

"Wha-uh…" you were flustered. You weren't quite sure why you were so taken aback. You were probably just that surprised. You could feel embarrassment flush into your cheeks.

"What!?" Naruto looked like he might explode. He rolled up one sleeve of his orange jacket, making a fist. "You want to punch this guy in the face, Nakao, or do you want me to!?"

"Nakao, huh?" Idate rolled your name off of his tongue. "That's a beautiful name. Well then, since fate has brought us together, isn't it time we talked about our future?"

Idate winked at you. You took a step back, your heel bumping into the seat you had previously been occupying. Your eye twitched. "Wh-what!?"

Idate grinned. "Oh you know, the part where you give up this ridiculous ninja business and run away with me."

"Hey, stop hitting on her or I'm going to start hitting on you!" Naruto yelled, but you hadn't heard because something suddenly wrapped around your wrist and you were being tugged back into your seat.

You hit your seat roughly. You quickly looked to your left to see Sasuke remove his hand from your wrist, but his attention was focused on Idate.

"I was just kidding around," Idate suddenly became serious once more and he stood straight. "But the rest of it; that was no joke. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a ninja! You better go one back where you came from or there'll be trouble. I'm warning you!"

"I'd like to see you try something!" you were suddenly on your feet again, raising a fist to Idate. He and Naruto were already in a glaring match.

"Calm down Naruto, Nakao," Sakura said calmly.

"She's right; just ignore the punk. We don't have the time," Sasuke agreed as he sat back in his seat, eyes closed.

You huffed angrily but conceded, standing down and glancing back at Sasuke. Naruto, however, was not so quick to back down. Fist still raised, Naruto turned his head to look behind himself to Sasuke. "Get out of here, Sasuke! After what this guy said don't you have any ninja pride!?"

"Sasuke's not exactly the 'Go Konoha' mascot, Naruto," you said, barely glancing over at the blonde.

"Well you can ignore it if you want but I'm gunna flatten him!" Naruto declared, turning back to Idate…

…only to find that he was gone!

"He disappeared!" Sakura whispered unbelievingly as Naruto frantically looked about himself.

You gasped. 'No way! I didn't even feel him leave!'

Sasuke was just as astonished from beside you.

"UGH! I hate that! He gets in his little dig and then runs away!" Naruto complained angrily as he bounced up and down, punching the air.

The waitress finally reappeared at your table, seemingly oblivious of the tension. She set the tray of food down on the table. "Here you go. Thank you for waiting."

Naruto was immediately back in his seat, but his arms were crossed and a deep frown was etched onto his face.

"I'll take these whenever you're ready," the waitress added as you placed two receipts in the center of the table.

"Huh?" Sakura looked curiously at the pair and picked them up, scanning their contents. "Why are there two bills?"

The waitress, who had already been walking away, stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "Yours and your young friend that just left. He said you'd be paying for him."

"What!?" you cried out as Naruto and Sakura let out their own cries of frustration.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew I should have flattened him when I had the chance!" Naruto called out in dismay, nearly beating his head against the table top.

From beside you, Sasuke leaned down to the floor, placing his ear against the ground. This caught your attention and you glanced down at the concentration on your teammate's face. He must have been checking for the sound of the boy's footsteps.

"That's where he crosses the line; making fools of us! I'm going to catch that jerk!" Naruto yelled out, grabbing his backpack from beside him and slinging it over his shoulders as he ran out the door.

You were immediately behind him, out the door before you even had both straps over your shoulders. You heard Sakura say something about money before she and Sasuke followed you out of the restaurant.

* * *

"I don't know what this kid's training has been but he's incredibly fast!" Sasuke commented as the four of you dashed after Idate.

"Who could he be?" Sakura wondered.

"Who cares! He's toast when I catch up with him!" Naruto yelled from beside you. The two of you were slightly ahead of Sasuke and Sakura.

Your team jumped into the trees, hoping for an ariel view of the boy. Several minutes passed by and you were beginning to grow even more irritated, until you found him. You caught a glimpse of him in the distance just as Idate's toes caught an uprooted log in the road and he tripped. He flew forward, threw a bush and down a cliff.

"Oh crap!" you called out in surprise. Your teammates dashed over.

Idate was unhurt when you caught up to him. His legs had hooked onto a tree branch and he hung upside down.

"All the speed in the world won't help me if I don't watch where I'm going," you heard the boy mumble as he dislodged himself, gracefully landing on the ground.

"Heh, serves you right," Naruto smirked as he and you came to a stop on a tree branch above your new enemy. Arms crossed over your chest, you glared down at Idate.

Idate glanced up and gasped, taking a step backwards. Unnoticed by him, Sakura and Sasuke had just landed on the tree branch behind him.

"You've got some nerve; did you really think you could get away with it?" Sasuke asked.

Idate whirled around to see Sasuke glaring down. Idate grimaced and then…

Idate fell to his knees, face bowed to the ground. "I'm sorry!"

You blinked. "Huh?"

From beside you, Naruto was equally confused.

"I couldn't pay the bill! All my money had been stolen…and you guys came…I shouldn't have done it but I didn't know what else to do!"

The four of you all jumped down to the ground, surrounding Idate.

"You're kidding? _All _of your money?" Sakura asked softly.

"Well why didn't you say that in the first place?" Naruto asked, completely calm now.

"You guys are joking right?" you asked incredulously, glancing to your teammates. "Are you seriously buying this?"

You didn't believe this jerk for a moment, not after everything he has said. Those words had been spoken with pure bitterness behind them. He had meant every syllabal and you weren't buying this sob story.

As you said this, something fell out from the sky above, klonking Naruto on the head. He grabbed at his head, glancing down. A pocket knife had fallen to the ground and now laid before Naruto's feet.

"What's this thing?" Naruto asked curiously, bending to pick up the object in question.

"Hands off!" Idate suddenly lashed out, grabbing the pocket knife before Naruto could wrap his fingers around it.

Your team, excluding you, were surprised when Idate did an elegant front flip away from your group.

"This belongs to me," Idate said sternly, pocketing the knife within his cloak.

You watched as Idate bent forward. He grasped the clasps of his leg-bands and the slid off of his shins.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, confused. You were already tense. Why was your team so stupid?

Idate stood straight, holding a leg band in each hand. He stretched out bth arms, horizontally to his body. "On your mark…get set…go!"

As soon as the last word left his lips, Idate dropped his leg bands. They smashed into the ground heavily, sending up large mushrooms of dust.

"Huh!?" Sakura cried out in surprise.

"They're weights!" you realized, holding an arm to your face to protect your eyes from the dust.

As it cleared, the area was empty. You could just barely make out Idate's form in the distance.

"There! He's running again!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Not for long!" Naruto leapt into the trees and the pursuit was on again.

"This kid's asking for it!" Sasuke proclaimed as the four of you dashed along, chakra fueling your speed. Even still, Idate was still managing to outrun the four of you.

"Is this guy for real!?" Sakura gasped, surprised.

"I told you, he's fast!" Sasuke reiterated unnecessarily.

"He's getting further away every second!" Naruto said.

And it was true. No matter how fast you were going, Idate was going faster. The four of you stopped, in line, on a tree branch. You each huffed, trying to catch your breath as you watched Idate's speeding form disappear into the distance.

* * *

The Land of Tea was pretty. The buildings were traditional and the whole village was decorated with paintings and landscaping. Your group had made your way to a large estate and had been greeted warmly. Apparently, Naruto had been here before with Tsunade.

The four of you had been led to a beautifully decorated room that was larger than the Hokage's office. This is where you stood now, in a line: Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, you. You stood before an elderly man with gray hair who sat on a purple cushion.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming," he greeted. You knew this was Boss Jirochou.

Naruto stepped forward. "I bid you greetings and offer you my services! I have come from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, which is also the place of my birth. I was raised on ramen and hard-work. And given the family name of Uzumaki, but I'm known to everyone as-"

"The dumbass," Sasuke imputed, arms crossed over his chest and his head bowed from embarrassment. Or, Sasuke's version of embarrassment.

"-as the dumbass!" Naruto finished, then realized what he had said. He cried out in anger. "Ah! Very funny Sasuke!"

You laughed and Boss Jirochou joyfully followed suit.

"You haven't changed at all I see," Jirochou smiled warmly at Naruto. His voice was calming and made you want to feel safe. Like how you imagined a grandfather would be, though you couldn't know for sure of course.

Naruto grinned, folding his arms behind his head. "Well you haven't changed much either, big guy."

"Naruto!" Sakura whispered harshly from behind him.

"Oh no, it's alright. The boy has spirit; I like that," Jirochou assured, waving a hand airily.

"Now that we're done with the greetings, maybe we should get down to it," Sasuke said seriously.

You scoffed over at the boy. "And you were worried about Naruto?" you looked to Jirochou. "Excuse his manners, Sir. This is Uchiha Sasuke, I'm Makase Nakao and that's Haruno Sakura."

Jirochou smiled and nodded appreciatively at you before motioning the four of you to sit down. The four of you did so, listening intently.

Jirochou coughed into his hand to clear his throat before beginning. "You know about the dedication ceremonies held at the Great Todoroki Shrine every four years, don't you?"

"Oh, well uh…not really," Naruto admitted.

"It all started long ago…" Jirochou bowed his head as he told his tale. "The legend goes that in ancient times there was a terrible storm. In desperation, the people dedicated the Ryuku Jewels to the Great Todoroki Shrine-it worked. The storm subsided and now the ceremony is repeated every four years.

At first it was a rededication of the jewels, then it became a festival-and a race; with the winner of the race being hailed as a great hero. But…in recent years, what once was a friendly race has taken on a more troubling aspect.

For generations, the Land of Tea has been divided between two families: the Wasabi clan and the Wagarashi clan; two rival gambling organizations. Both families want to control the village, which naturally lead to disputes which turned to violence and often into full-out battles. Towns-people got caught in the cross-fire, leaving many injured or worse.

Finally, in an effort to end the violence, our tribal leaders told us to get together and come up with an agreement. Henceforth, control of the town would be decided, not by street brawls, but by a competition."

"What sort of competition?" Sakura asked.

"The race run every four years at the Great Todoroki Shrine dedication ceremony. Four years ago, the Wagarashi beat us soundly by hiring a ninja . We've found out they've done the same thing this year. That's why we've sent messengers to you, seeking your help. It was our way of leveling the playing field. But before they could reach your village, they were attacked," Jirochou suddenly placed his palms on the ground and bowed before you. "I beg you, please lend our family your strength. If we lose again it means the Wagarashi will rule this village for four more years."

"Not gunna happen, I'm on the job!" Naruto said confidently.

"So who are we supposed to escort?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Excellent, that means you'll take the job?" Jirochou sat upright.

"Of course," you replied cockily. "We're Konoha ninja."

Jirochou smiled and clapped his hands twice, loudly. Immediately, the door on the left side of the room slid open. A figure kneeled before it. "Yes Boss. You wanted me?"

"It's you!" you, Naruto and Idate all screamed at the same time.

"So you already know each other," Jirochou smiled, obviously not catching the thick tension now in the room. "That makes everything easier."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Sakura mumbled as you could practically see the electricity between Idate's and Naruto's eyes.

* * *

While Naruto had taken Idate with him to tour the village (probably a bad idea), you, Sakura and Sasuke went off on your own. The three of you simply meandered, finding nothing of immediate danger. At Sakura's request, you wove through stores, glancing at the unique merchandise of the village. True to Jirochou's story, there was a gambling building for every four stores. Sasuke was in charge of physically dragging you away from their doors.

So now the three of you were visiting a woman's shop that featured beautiful items like handmade vases and fans. Currently, you and Sakura were peering into a box of clay animals while Sasuke stood outside. They were beautiful sculpted and painted. There was a dog, a snake, a slug, a toad…in fact, they all appeared to resemble ninja summons. Interesting. Perhaps more interesting, however, were the price tags hanging from them.

'With these prices, you'd think this place was a tourist attraction…'

You glanced at Sakura and she at you. You both appeared to be thinking the same thing. At that moment, a woman's voice came up from behind you.

"I know what you're thinking, too expensive?"

You and Sakura turned around to see the owner speaking. She was a middle-aged woman with brown hair pulled into a bun. She looked tired and weary. Her voice was soft and not at all angry.

"Oh no," Sakura tried to assure the woman. "Uh…"

"Believe me, I don't like to charge that much, but the Wagarashi family sets the prices," the woman told you matter-of-factly.

At that moment, a loud crash from outside caught your attention. You and Sakura gasped and sprinted outside to see what had happened. You stopped beside Sasuke in the middle of the street. There was a, what once appear to be a cart, broken into pieces in the street. A man sat atop the piling, cowering in the shadow of three men.

"I'm sorry!" the man on the ground pleaded.

"What's wrong with you? When we want something, we get it. You got it?" one of the men said. "You wouldn't even be in business without the Wagarashi."

"I know! I know!" the man sounded desperate. "But I need to be paid-"

"You're really not getting this are you?" the thug said, cracking his knuckles as he formed fists.

"No, no please!" the defenseless man pleaded, stumbling to his feet.

The ruthless attacker grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. The victim cried out in fear as the attacker pulled a fist back, aiming it for his face. Sasuke took off from beside you and was there in millisecond's. He slid between the pair of men, catching the thrown fist with an open palm.

The attacker grinded his teeth together as he attempted to push against Sasuke's hand. "Wha-?"

"Why don't you and your friends take a hike," Sasuke said, eyes set unwavering on the man.

"What is he doing!? He needs to run! Those are the Wagarashi's men!" the shopkeeper cried. She had followed you and Sakura outside and now her hand was to her mouth.

You glanced over to the woman with just the slightest smirk. "Don't worry."

"You asked for it!" the Wagarashi men called out, regrabbing your attention. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed across the area and the shopkeeper dug her face into her hands.

A short struggle ensued, which you and Sakura paid attention to. The shopkeeper, however, refused to look until the sounds of it were over.

"Not acting so tough now, are you?" one of the men smirked.

"That oughta teach you a thing or two, pipsqueak," the other said.

The two turned towards the ground, each sporting bruised eyes and bleeding faces. They bent down to retrieve their leader who now lay unconscious on the dirt ground. Sasuke stood, arms crossed over his chest as he watched.

"Don't mess with us or next time you won't get off so easy!" the men continued as they hefted their friend between them. One of the men threw a small satchel of coins to the original victim who was still on the ground.

Sasuke cracked his knuckles loudly. The two men screamed in fear and took off running with their incapacitated friend.

"Young man…" the man on the ground caught Sasuke's attention. He bowed his head. "Thank you, whoever you are."

Ecstatic, the shopkeeper wandered over to Sasuke and the man. You and Sakura followed.

"Just look at those men run! Now if only the Wasabi can win the race, we'll be through with them for good!" the woman smiled to herself.

You and Sakura glanced at one another.

* * *

Your loud yawn was drowned out by the explosion of fireworks overhead. It was just before sunrise and the entire village was gathered at the port. As soon as the sun would cast its rays on the land, the face would begin. The entire village was divided into two large groups, standing across from one another-the Wasabi supporters and the Wagarashi supporters. In the middle stood the feudal lords, the two runners and your team.

"Woah, I had no idea this was such a big deal," Naruto muttered, glancing about himself.

You yawned again, rubbing sleepily at your eyes. "Well now you know."

"So what kind of race is it anyway?" Naruto asked, glancing over at you and your teammates.

"You know, the kind with a start and finish," Sakura said, pulling a map from her weapons pouch. Naruto glanced over her shoulder. You and Sasuke had already studied the map and new its contents. "The starting point is here at the harbor of Degarashi. From here, the runners head to Modorki Shrine; that's the midpoint."

"They run over water?" Naruto asked incredulously, noting that the Modoroki Shrine was on another island.

"No, Naruto, the first leg of the race is done by boat," Sakura glanced to Naruto, talking to him as though explaining to a child. "Anyway, the runners pick up the Ryuuku Jewels from the Modoroki Shrine and the first one that gets them to The Great Todoroki Shrine wins. That's it as far as the basic rules go but other than that, just about anything goes; short cuts, dirty tricks, anything."

"Which sucks for us," you mumbled, eyes set on the sky, watching a red firework explode.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"That's why they can hire ninja," Sasuke emphasized.

"Oh right, so where are the ninja that the other side hired?" Naruto asked.

"Probably keeping a low profile," you answered, glancing about yourself. "But they're around here somewhere. Don't forget what Tsunade-sama said about this being an A-ranked mission…"

"Yeah, so watch your step, Naruto," Sakura chastised.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto muttered.

"I don't care what you guys do, but whatever happens, just stay away from me," Idate said rudely, glancing over his shoulder at your team.

"Say what!?" Naruto raised a fist.

"I've got a race to run, I don't want you in my way!" Idate glared.

"In your way!?" Naruto moved to lung at Idate.

You caught the boy, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket to stop him as you glared at Idate. "Don't let him get to you, Naruto. He'll be begging us for help when there's a kunai to his neck."

Idate glared daggers at you but did not reply. He turned away from you. You glared holes into his back. 'This is going to be a long race…'

"Attention! Attention! The race is about to begin!" a loud speaker blared out to the crowd. "Running for the Wasabi: Morino Idate!"

There was an uproar of cheers from the crowd. Idate only closed his eyes and held up a hand.

'Wait…Morino Idate? Morino? Where do I know that name from?'

Before you could think further, the loudspeaker continued. Running for the Wagarashi family: Hiyokuya Fukusuke!"

The other runner thrust a fist into the air with a war cry. The other half of the audience cheered. You set your eyes on the opponent. He was a bit taller than Idate but just as lean. His mousey brown hair was spiked up with the use of an orange hair band wrapped around his forehead.

"Take your marks…get set…

The two runners took their stance; low to the ground, one knee bent and the other leg poised to push the body off. The wooden gate the two had been standing in front of slowly began to creak open. A vast stretch of sea became visible. At the end of the pier floated two small boats. At the horizon, the sun was slowly rising. Just as its orange hue hit the water…

"GO!"

The crowd cheered as the runners set off. The two were so fast they literally kicked up dust piles as they took off.

"Guess that means we better get going too!" Naruto glanced to your team.

But just as the two runners passed through the gates, about to meet the pier, Idate veered left.

Your team gasped and immediately took off after your protectee.

"What's that idiot doing!?" Sasuke questioned aloud as your team hurried after Idate.

"Hey! You're going the wrong way!" Naruto called after Idate. Your team had closed some distance between the four of you and Idate, but you weren't able to catch up. "The ocean's the other way! You have to turn around!"

"You can forget it! There's no way I'm turning around!" Idate yelled over his shoulder before speeding up.

"Shit!" you hissed as he quickly disappeared from sight into a patch of forestry.

Your team took to the trees, leaping from tree branch to tree branch. You moved silently for a while, your anger festering as the time flew.

"We've got to catch up to him soon," Naruto said, as though convincing himself of such.

"But it's too late now!" Sakura insisted. "There's no way he can win this far away from the port!"

"I don't know," you glanced over to Sakura as you traveled beside Sasuke. "Maybe he actually has a plan."

'It would have been nice for him to tell us though!'

* * *

"Look, there he is!" you pointed to the ground sometime later.

Naruto, who was leading your team, jumped down first, landing just behind the running Idate.

"Finally caught up to you!" Naruto sped up slightly, trying to get a look at Idate's face. "So what gives? Why did you come this way?"

"Hey, shut up!" Idate fired at Naruto.

At that moment, you jumped down on Idate's other side. "Hey, I've had it with your attitude! If we're going to protect you, we have to know what you're doing!"

"I said shut up!" Idate now glanced over you as he yelled.

You gritted your teeth together. If this wasn't a mission, you would have left his asshole a long time ago. As far as you were concerned, he wasn't worth your protection; but it wasn't for the shinobi to decide that so you continued to run after Idate with Naruto. Sakura and Sasuke followed from the treetops.

The forestry gave way to jagged rocks for a split second, and then back into the forestry. Your senses sparked and you glanced about yourself.

'That feeling! That's…genjutsu!'

"Hey, you need to slow down!" you called over to Idate. You didn't think Naruto had noticed the genjutsu.

As the words left your mouth, you passed a large tree with a giant hole in the middle. Idate recognized it and came to a halt. He began talking to himself, acting like neither you nor Naruto were standing beside him. Naruto just looked confused but you were watching Idate, astonished.

"So a genjutsu…" Idate muttered before bringing his fingers together in a handseal. "Release!"

You gasped. 'What!? He can do jutsus!?'

In your momentary distraction, Idate had smirked and taken off. You shook your head and put your own handseal together. 'Release!'

Your eyes snapped open and you relocated Idate. You gasped. Idate thought he had dispelled the genjutsu and was headed for what you figured he thought was the way out of it, but he was wrong. Whoever had done this genjutsu was skilled and had actually double-layered it.

"No, don't go that way!" you called after Idate, taking off at a sprint.

"What's going on here?" Naruto asked, confused, before taking off after you.

Of course, Idate did not listen to you. He was too caught up in being triumphant that he didn't realize he was still under a genjutsu. Idate was running full speed…right towards a cliff.

"Nakao!"

"Huh?" you glanced up to find Sakura and Sasuke dropping down next to you. Sasuke had a rope in his hand. You quickly snatch it from his hands. "Naruto!"

You tossed the rope to Naruto just as Idate ran right off the edge of the cliff. His scream echoed against the rock around you. Without needing direction, Naruto caught the rope and tied it around his waist as he ran. Naruto secured it just as he reached the end of the cliff and he hopped over.

The sudden wait soon applied to the rope indicated that Naruto had caught Idate. You cried out in surprise, firmly planting your feet on the ground. Sakura and Sasuke quickly helped you with the rope so you each took a portion of the strain.

"Man, that was a close one," Sakura commented as the three of you began to haul Naruto and Idate up.

"Someone set up one genjutsu on top of the other," Sasuke said.

"I know. Whoever did it is skilled," you said.

"You idiot! If you would just stop for two seconds we wouldn't be in this mess!" you heard Naruto yell at Idate.

"What did you say!?"

You felt tugging on the rope and you gritted your teeth together as it cut into your palms.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Naruto called out. "Ah! No! All of my weapons!"

You sighed to yourself as you hefted the two up. A long mission this was indeed.

* * *

"Look, I didn't need your help," Idate said, getting to his feet. He and Naruto had been sitting on the ground.

Sakura was collecting the rope and you and Sasuke stood watching the two.

"Oh right," you rolled your eyes at Idate. "We just didn't give your wings enough time to sprout."

"How about a little thanks for saving your life!?" Naruto hollered, jumping to his feet.

"You only saved me because you're bound to by duty! There's no need for me to thank you!" Idate yelled back.

"What did you say?" Naruto growled.

"You're damn right!" you took a step towards Idate, shoving a finger his chest. "We did only save you because we're bound to by duty! If you ask me, you're not worth our protection! "

"What?" Idate hissed, glaring.

"Stop it, Nakao," Sasuke said, stepping up beside you and gently grabbing your arm. "He's right; he doesn't need to thank us."

You glared at Sasuke, wrenching your arm away from his grasp.

Sasuke set his gaze on Idate. "But look, if you don't want to end up dead, I suggest you stay close to us."

"Hmph," Idate turned away.

"Where are you going anyway?" Naruto asked. "What happened to the port?"

Idate, who had begun walking away, stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "What about it? Forget the port, I'm headed north from here."

"Is it faster that way?" Sakura asked.

"That's right," Idate smirked cockily.

"Yeah, maybe," Naruto sounded disbelieving. "How do we even know if we can trust this guy?"

"Humph! That's the problem with all you ninja!" Idate turned around to glare.

"What?" Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Look, at this time of year, there are some pretty strong seasonal winds blowing hard across the sea. Back at the starting point, I noticed the clouds; I could see the wind was blowing towards us. On top of that, there's a port to the north where the current flows directly into Nagi Island. That's what I'm saying. You oughta use this a little more, right here," Idate pointed to his temple.

"I don't have empty space between my ears," you muttered.

* * *

The five of you had set out again, running in a line. Idate was in the lead, followed by Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and you.

"Hey, I can smell salt on the wind," Naruto muttered after a long while of running.

"It's the ocean!" Sakura exclaimed excitedly as it came into view before you.

Idate came to walking speed as the five of you reached the sand-covered shore. There was a boat afloat in the water near a pier. Seagulls were perched atop its mast, chirping to one another.

"What's that across the water?" Sakura asked as she spotted a large mass on the horizon of the sea.

"That's the midway point," Idate answered.

'Wow, it's so close from here!' you realized, eyes set on the shadowy mast.

"We can probably get ourselves there within an hour of here," Idate said, his eyes also cast on the island. "One sec."

Idate sprinted to your left, to a small sea shack. You watched as Idate knocked on the door and an old man answered. The two explained words and you saw the old man point a finger at the boat at the pier. Minutes later, you were on said boat, on your way to Nagi Island.

Sasuke was manning the rutter and Naruto and Sakura were tying ropes around pegs that controlled the mast. Idate was standing at the bow of the ship, his eyes set forward on the vast sea. You stood just slightly behind him, your eyes constantly darting about. Your enemies had failed so far in assassinating Idate; another attack wouldn't be too far behind.

"Hey Naruto…"

You glanced over your shoulder to see that Sakura had wandered over to him. She and Naruto were turned, watching Idate's back. You glanced to Idate before meandering back to the pair.

"What do you think about Idate?" Sakura whispered, raising her eyes to you as you neared the pair. Naruto was still on his knees and Sakura was bent over, hands on her knees.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"He's not some ordinary guy; the speed he runs at is extraordinary. He's probably received some sort of special training," Sakura said.

"What kind of training?" Naruto asked.

"I think he's had some shinobi training," you cut in, glancing at both of them in turn. You saw Sakura nod gently but Naruto was taken aback.

Naruto then began laughing. "Get real! That block-head could never be a ninja!"

"Look who's talking!" Sakura yelled at Naruto. "Last I checked, you were the reigning King of Stupid!"

"Well yeah but come on! I did make it to the final round of the Chuunin Exam!" Naruto defended himself.

"You didn't really make it to the final round, did you?" Idate suddenly asked, turning to face you. The three of you blinked, surprised by the outburst.

"Well yeah, Naruto, Sasuke and myself all did," you said carefully, eyeing Idate.

"Yeah, and if I hadn't been interrupted in the middle of it, then I could have won the tournament and become a Chuunin!" Naruto sounded exasperated.

You turned to the boy, hands on your hips. "Get real, Naruto. To win, you would have had to face me and won, and we both know that wouldn't have happened."

"What!?" Naruto's face was a mix of anguish and disbelief.

"Yeah, well whoever your proctor was must have been a real pushover," Idate cut in.

"What?" you asked.

"Sounds like the Chuunin Exams have lowered its standards some!" Idate bit out, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

"I knew it!" you thrust a finger at Idate. "You _are _from a shinobi village!"

Idate quickly looked away.

"I remember now," Sasuke spoke up from the back of the small boat. "Morino Idate."

You snapped your fingers, glancing back to Sasuke in excitement. "_That's _why that name sounded so familiar! Morino. Our first proctor: Morino Ibiki."

"Wh-What!?" Idate turned back around and made several steps towards you. "My brother? He's alive?"

"He's your brother? Well, yes, he's alive," you answered, eyes on Idate.

"Why wouldn't he be? He threw such a curveball at me the tenth question in?" Naruto nearly chuckled at the memory.

"Seriously? He's really alive?" Idate couldn't believe it.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, an arrow came whizzing past him, just missing his cheek. The arrow landed behind Idate with a thud.

"Shit…" you gritted your teeth together, eyeing the arrow.

"Oh great, now what?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"It's an ambush," Sasuke answered, his eyes set to the sea behind the boat. You glanced back too to see a boat was following you.

You gasped as a barrage of arrows came flying down towards you. You and Sakura each took out a kunai, slashing through any arrow that came at you. Behind you, Idate grabbed his pocketknife and followed suit.

Seconds later, another barrage of arrows flew straight towards Sasuke. He waited for them to near before he back flipped away from them, landing just in front of you.

"Naruto, Nakao and I will fend these guys off. Sakura, you keep an eye on Idate," Sasuke glanced back to your pink-haired teammate.

"Maybe we should all just run," Sakura suggested.

"It's too late for that," you said as you watched a group of harpoons attack your boat. Attached to the harpoons were ropes. As the harpoons dug into the wood of the boat, the enemy boat was tugged forwards towards yours.

"Start working on these ropes, I'll cover you," Sasuke said, glancing to you and Naruto.

You and Naruto both nodded. You quickly set to work, slashing the kunai in your hand through every rope that you could find. Naruto, however, began groping at his weapon pouches, remembering that he had dropped all his weaponry when rescuing Idate.

Naruto turned around to face Idate and Sakura. His vision rested on the pocketknife in Idate's hand. "Hey, lend me that will ya?"

"What? Forget about it!" Idate held the knife close to his heart. "This is more precious to me than my own life!"

"Yeah well it's not your own life that's on the line here!" you hollered over your shoulder as you slashed an incoming arrow in half.

An argument started between the two but you didn't pay much attention. You were busy slashing through the last of the ropes. You watched them fall into the water and your boat left the other behind.

"Ah!" you heard Sakura scream.

You turned to find what Sakura had screamed about, and gasped. Your enemy turned out to be three ninja. They seemed to be seeping through the bottom of the boat and to the surface. More and more came by the second, some even from the mast of the boat. You gritted your teeth together as two appeared behind you.

"Don't worry, Sakura! They're just clones!" you heard Naruto yell out. You could no longer see him due to the mass of enemy ninja now on the boat.

Your eyes widened. 'Wait a second!'

You knew these ninja. They were wearing full-bodied wetsuits. White masks surrounded their eyes and they wore odd, breathing contraptions over their mouths. 'These are the ninja from the second exam!'

"Nakao, Sakura, Naruto, watch out! One of them is not a shadow clone!" you heard Sasuke call out.

"Which one is it!?" you called out, glancing about yourself, kunai held in front of you.

"Stay by my side, Idate," Sakura glanced over her shoulder to the boy.

"What, no way! Why would I want help from a ninja!?"

"Take a look around you, pal. Beggars can't be choosers!" Naruto responded.

"Naruto, watch out!" Sasuke yelled.

A break in the crowd of enemy clones let you see Naruto, Sakura and Idate. An enemy, you assumed the real one, was flying down at Naruto and you called out as it punch him across the face, tackling him to the ground. The second he hit the ground however, Naruto disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"A clone!? A no!" the enemy ninja glanced upwards. Five Naruto clones came down on the ninja, their fists pulled back. Before any could land a hit, however, the ninja dove overboard and into the water.

"The real one got away!" Naruto ran over to the side of the ship, glaring down into the water.

The calm only lasted for a second, however, before the clones began to attack. You felt movement behind you and you whirled around in time to see a clone trying to drive a kunai into your chest. You slashed out, tearing your kunai through the clone. The clone stopped and broke apart and a large splash of water fell to your feet.

You gasped, trying to locate Sasuke over your shoulder. "Sasuke! They've turned into water clones!"

You jumped back as two clones came at you. You threw your kunai at one and it drove through the ninja's chest cavity. You took out a dagger just as the other one neared and slashed it through its neck.

"I know!" Sasuke called back, sounding aggravated.

Suddenly, you were pelted with something from above. You glanced up through your bangs.

'It's raining?'

You didn't have time to think on it because a ninja thrust a kunai at your face. You jumped backwards, but upon landing, you slipped in a puddle and hit the ground.

'What the-!'

As you lay on the floor boards of the boat, you look to see the puddle you had slipped on. Your eyes widened. 'This isn't rain…this is oil!'

"Sasuke, don't!" you heard Sakura shout.

"Huh?" you glanced up to find that Sasuke had his fingers in the Tiger handseal. The handseal for fire. You gritted your teeth together. 'They were trying to get us to burn the boat down!'

You scrambled to your feet just in time to see an object flying towards the boat from the enemy ship. You narrowed your eyes as the object got closer. Your eyes widened. "Shit!"

You jumped backwards just as an arrow lodged into the floor where you had been standing seconds prior. The head of the arrow was alit with flame and it quickly caught onto the oil covering the ship. Everything became ablaze and you glanced about yourself, trying to locate your teammates.

"Sasuke, what are we going to do!? The fire's out of control!" Sakura called out from behind you.

You looked over your shoulder to find a beam fall in front of her and Idate. Movement behind you made you swirl around and you ranked your blade through a water clone.

"We jump into the ocean! We're going to have to swim to the port!" Sasuke announced.

You slashed through another enemy before turning on your heel. Jumping over burning beams, you made your way over to Sakura and Idate.

"Idate!" Sakura called out as you reached her.

"What's going on?" you asked, glancing at Idate who was in a defensive pose. You let out a cough as smoke seeped into your lungs.

"What, do you think I'm stupid? You four just want to use me as a decoy!" Idate glared at you and Sakura.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto hollered from somewhere behind you.

"You want them to focus on me while you guys get the heck out of here!" Idate yelled back.

"Are you insane!?" you hissed.

"I said forget it! I don't trust ninja!"

An enemy appeared behind you and you whirled around, slashing at it.

"Get out of here already! We don't need you getting in our way!" Sasuke yelled.

Idate froze up.

"Idate, trust me! We would never use you as a decoy!" Sakura tried to convince him. You knew that tactic was never going to work.

"Just get out of here!" you yelled, turning back to Idate.

"No! I won't!"

Your eyes flashed. An enemy had appeared behind Idate, a kunai out. It was already releasing it.

"Dammit!" your feet acted before your brain. You closed the short distance between Idate and you with a sprint and stopped before Idate, your body covering his. The kunai slashed at your left shoulder, ripping open the black fabric of your shirt and a gash in your skin. You cried out in pain.

"Nakao!" you heard Naruto shout and Sasuke gasp in surprise.

"N-Nakao?" Idate sounded stunned and you brought your gaze up to meet his.

Sweat was dripping down your face from the heat around you. The fire was burning everywhere now and you could feel the ship sinking. Idate's surprised eyes were a lit with the color of the flames.

"G-Get out of here now," you ordered, grabbing at your shoulder. "We'll be right behind you."

Idate slowly and clumsily nodded before he finally turned around and dove off of the side of the ship.

"You guys, let's go!" you cried out over your shoulder to your teammates.

They immediately bounded over to you, Naruto and Sakura being the first to leap off of the side of the boat. Sasuke ran over next, grabbing you around your upper right arm and tugging you along with him. Together, the two of you ran to the side of the boat and threw yourselves over. Sasuke pulled you against him as you both hit the water, seemingly protecting you from the impact.

As you bobbed back up to the surface, you let out a light cry of pain. The hand clutching your gash tightened its grip. The salt water was seeping beneath your hand and your wound was searing. Sasuke still had a hand around your uninjured arm and was helping pull you along through the water as your team began to swim.

"Nakao, are you okay?" Naruto asked, glancing over at you.

"I-I'm fine," you assured, trying not to wince at the pain. "It's the least of our worries."

"You mean those Rain Village ninja?" Sasuke asked, glancing over to you.

"Are you kidding? Those wimps? We can handle them!" Naruto said cockily.

"I know _we _can handle them," you glanced over to your blonde-haired teammate. "It's Idate. What if they're already after him?"

"Oh yeah! He might be in danger!" Naruto suddenly realized, his eyes growing wide.

"Of course he's in danger!" Sakura exasperated.

Suddenly, Naruto called out and began flailing around. He was suddenly pulled beneath the surface of the water, his arms trying to grasp at the air until they too, we pulled under.

"Knock it off, Naruto, this is no time to be playing around!" Sakura scolded.

"He's not," Sasuke gritted his teeth together, eyes training on the ripples of water where Naruto had just been.

"Our friends are back," you grimaced.

"Nakao, you ready?" Sasuke glanced over to you.

You nodded. The salt in the water was making your wound sear, but that was the worst of the pain. The wound itself wasn't very deep and you could still use your arm.

Without a second question, Sasuke took in a deep breath of air and dove himself under water. You and Sakura followed suit, taking in as much air as possible before following Sasuke.

It stung your eyes to have them open under water, but at least it was clear enough to see. You were faster than Sakura and you were catching up to Sasuke who was swimming deeper into the water. The Rain ninja were deep, where the water had started to turn black. Their leader was watching you, Sakura and Sasuke while the other two were pulling Naruto deeper and deeper.

As soon as you reached the leader, he activated his water clone jutsu. You were in his domain under here and before you could react, the three of you were being ambushed by clones. You could feel your lungs constricting as one clones wrapped its arm around your neck and another wrapped its arms around your torsos from your front.

You tried to struggle against the clones, but it was useless. You could breathe under water and your movements were slowed down by the current. Out of the corner of your eyes, you could see Sakura and Sasuke struggling as well.

'Dammit! I am **not **gunna be beaten by these punks! We've beaten them twice already!'

Channeling all your strength to your legs, you curled your knees up as far as you could and kicked the clone that was attached to your front. The force was enough to dislodge the clone, but due to the surrounding water, the clone did not disappear. No matter, you just needed to the use of your hands.

Without wasting a second, you brought your fingers together in a set of handseals. 'Arashi Kamekaze'

The water molecules in your body began to change and oxygen began to soak out of the pours of your skin. As it hit the water, bubbles began to appear, quickly encasing you. You closed your eyes and summoned up a large mass of chakra. Crying out in your head, you released the chakra, and it pushed out of your skin and into the water. Your chakra latched onto the water and the natural swirling motion of your chakra began to pick up. Your pushed harder and soon your chakra was swirling around and around, the water around you attached to it like glue.

A twister ensued, spinning rapidly. It grew larger at an alarming rate as it spread out and kept attracting water. The twister soon engulfed everything around it, including the enemy and your teammates. As the enemy clones got sucked into the vortex, the sheer impact ripped them apart, depleting them to nothing.

Across from you, you could see the enemy ninja attach from Sasuke and he immediately pushed against your vortex, heading for the surface. Figuring your other teammates were able to do the same, you canceled your jutsu. The water continued to swirl on its own and you exerted your depleting levels of energy to push against the pushing current of the vortex. As you pushed towards the surface of the water, you could feel all the air in your lungs evaporating.

You hit the surface, gasping for air. You couldn't get enough, soon enough and you felt like a fish out of water, nearly choking on air. In front of you, Sasuke was already beginning to swim towards shore.

"Hold on Sakura!"

You gasped as something came rushing past you. Your eyes widened as Naruto was running across the water, Sakura unconscious on his back. You glanced over to Sasuke, who had glanced back to you. You simply did not have the energy to run across the water so you and Sasuke continue to swim towards shore.

When the water became shallow enough for you to walk, you and Sasuke got to your feet. Your clothes were soaked and heavy. Your bangs were plastered to your face and you annoyingly tried to brush them away. As you and Sasuke waded to the sandy shore, Naruto already had Sakura lying on the ground and he was kneeling over her.

"How's she doing?" you asked as you and Sasuke kneeled beside Naruto.

Naruto gulped. "I think…she's going to need mouth to mouth."

You held your hands up, signaling this was all on Naruto. He was more than happy to obliged. A blush crept into his cheeks as Naruto slowly leaned forward, his lips in destination to Sakura's. Just as they were about to touch, Sakura's eyes slowly peeled open. They suddenly snapped open and her scream echoed across the island.

Your hands flew to your ears to cover the harpy scream as Sakura shot into a sitting position, punching Naruto in the face. Poor Naruto flew face-down into the ground.

"What do you think you're doing you perv!" Sakura screamed at Naruto.

Sasuke got to his feet from beside you. You and Sakura glanced up to him.

"What's up Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"We're wasting time we haven't got; we need to find Idate," he replied with a mere glance down at the girl.

You sighed and got to your feet as well, knees creaking the whole way.

* * *

The island was covered in jagged, pointed rock and maneuvering it hadn't been a picnic. The rocks were also slippery as it was pouring rain. You weren't quite sure how long it had taken you to find Idate, but when you did, you were freezing and exhausted. Finding Idate, however, was not exactly a welcoming sight.

When you found Idate, he was lying on the ground on his back. His right arm was spread out beside him, his hand clutching his beloved pocketknife.

"Idate!" Naruto called out as your team sprinted over to him.

What was troubling about finding Idate, was finding the man that stood over him. The man's eyes were purple and they were glinting with glee as he peered over at your team. His hair was dark, sea-foam green and reached to his shoulders. His bangs parted to reveal that he wore a Rain Village headband around his forehead. His right hand was holding a parasol, keeping his head protected from the rain.

"Are you in charge of those Rain Village ninja!?" Naruto accused angrily as your team came to a stop several feet from the pair.

Sakura quickly made her way over to Idate, kneeling at his side.

"Apparently they weren't quite up to the job," the ninja said. His voice sounded permanently smug. "In a contest between genin it appears the Leaf genin are the stronger. But genin, no matter how strong they are, are no match against me."

"Well let's fine out!" Naruto yelled out.

On cue, you, Naruto and Sasuke took off towards the enemy. Naruto reached the ninja first, aiming a punch for his face, but the ninja only sidled out of the way. You and Sasuke slid on either side of him, Sasuke aiming a punch for the back of his head and you aiming a kick beneath his chin. But neither of your attacks landed and you found yourselves staring at one another with an empty space between you.

Sasuke face shot up towards the sky. "Up there!"

You and Naruto quickly followed Sasuke's gaze. The ninja was high in the air. With a smirk on his face, he brough back his parasol and then flung it towards your team. The parasol staid in the ninja's hand, but from it, a large burst of wind flew towards your group.

The force of the wind knocked the three of you face-first into the ground. The force of the wind could rival that of a tornado! You all cried out in pain as the wind pelted at you, nearly ripping apart your clothes. The earth beneath you cracked apart before the wind finally died down.

The ninja gracefully fell to the ground, landing somewhere behind you. "Hmph, about what I expected. No more of a a challenge than Idate really."

Gritting your teeth together, you raised your head, peering over your shoulder at the ninja. Your teammates did the same.

"I'll just give you what I gave him," the ninja said, closing his parasol and sliding it into a sash on his back. He pulled out several tracker needles, holding them between the fingers of both his hands. "No use in wasting any of my chakra."

Sakura was kneeling over Idate but you, Naruto and Sasuke all got to your feet. With amazing speed, the ninja whipped his black needles at you. You could do nothing and the needless plowed into each of you, bowling you over and onto the ground.

"N-Needles…" Naruto grimaced, trying to sit up.

You layed on the ground beside Sasuke, wincing. You peered over at your shoulder to find several lodged there. Two more were lodged into your abdomen.

"Needles that deliver a deadly poison. No matter how strong you may be, you already have one foot in the grave," the ninja smirked.

You gritted your teeth together, shakily getting to your knees. Sasuke did the same.

"Yeah yeah…we've heard that before…" Naruto attempted to stand up but he ended up falling right back down beside you.

In the distance, you heard the faint sound of cheering. You glanced over in that direction. The enemy ninja did the same.

"Fusuke must have reached the shrine by now," keeping his head in that direction, the ninja turned his eyes on you. "The last sound you'll ever hear: the sound of all your plans going up in smoke."

With that, the ninja leapt up into the air and disappeared.

"D-Dammit," you grumbled, grasping the needles in your shoulder and yanking them out. They fell with a clatter to the ground.

"He's gunna pay," Naruto growled.

"You guys, take this," Sakura said softly, grabbing yours, Sasuke's and Naruto's attentions.

Sakura was holding out a small bottle topped with a red cap.

"What is it?" you asked as Sakura unscrewed the cap.

"Tsunade-sama gave it to me," Sakura explained, dumping some pills into the red cap. "She stopped me as we were leaving the village."

Sakura slipped one pill into Idate's mouth before taking one herself.

"Is it some kind of antidote?" you asked as the rest of you grabbed a pill from the cap.

"Yeah I think so," Sakura responded, pocketing the bottle as you swallowed the pill. She glanced down to the unconscious Idate. "We can't just leave him out here in the rain, we've got to get him someplace warm."

* * *

Someplace warm ended up to be a small cave carved into the steep mountainsides of the island. Sasuke had started a fire and it was crackling merrily. Your team was gathered around its warmth as Idate lay behind you. You were lying on your side beside the fire, head propped up by an elbow. You were tired and had only been able to catch a short nap in the time that you had been in the cave. How long that had been, you weren't really sure.

This whole mission was long and tiring and was far too nostalgic. Your mission was to protect a Morino and your enemies were ones you had faced in the Chuunin Exams. Those exams had been over for quite some time now and you were happy for it. Those exams had brought you no happy memories and you hated that they were now resurfacing because of this stupid mission.

_"I'm not just a little kid anymore! I'm a kunoichi now; and my teammate's in trouble!" you stared defiantly at your brother, lips set in a firm line. _

_Keitaro's lips moved but instead of speaking, he only sighed. A look of defeat flashed across his features and his shoulders drooped. He looked to you with almost sad eyes. "You're right…you're not." _

_You felt a sense of ease rush over you. Before you could comment, Keitaro reached to his side, pulling out a kunai. He whipped it towards you. You stared with wide eyes as the whistling sound of the kunai rushing through the air, swept past your ear. You swirled around to see a sand ninja fall to the ground, the kunai stuck through his neck. _

_Slowly, you turned back around to face your brother. He nodded at you, which you returned. Without another look, you once again turned in the direction you'd been wanting to go._

The flames of the fire reflected in your eyes as you thought about the memory. It had been the last time you'd even seen your brother. You didn't allow your mind to wander to him very much, but you missed him. You hated coming home to an empty house when you were done with missions. You tried to avoid home as much as possible and often trained until the sun set. Only then did you concede and return home to shower and sleep.

"Well look who's awake," Naruto's voice cut through your thoughts.

"Hey, so how are you feeling?" Sakura asked.

You slowly sat up to see Idate trying to sit up. Sakura seemed to be helping him.

"Where is he? What happened to Aoi?" Idate asked, uneasy and nervous.

"He's gone," Sasuke said from next to you, glancing over his shoulder at Idate. "So that's that guy's name? Aoi?"

Idate, now sitting up, glanced away from Sasuke silently.

"Who is he? Do you know each other from somewhere?" Sakura asked. She was seated beside him.

"He was…" Idate slowly began, his eyes still adverted to the wall. Naruto completely turned around to watch Idate. "A sensei I knew back in my Leaf Village days."

"You're from the Leaf Village!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Duh, Naruto," you rolled your eyes. You had established this a long time ago.

"After he betrayed the Leaf Village, he became a jounin of the Village Hidden in the Rain," Idate explained.

"Hang on, back up. What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

Idate tried to sit up straighter, but he was hissing in pain.

"Easy there, you'll still weak," Sakura tried to stop Idate, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Tch, all that work, all the training, all for nothing," Idate's tone changed as he glared in Sakura's direction.

"You're giving up kind of easy aren't you?" Naruto asked angrily. "That's no way for any Konoha ninja to talk."

"You've got the wrong guy. I haven't even thought about Konoha since the day I walked away from it," Idate looked down to his lap.

"Hold up," you cut in, staring at Idate intently. "You abandoned Konoha? You're a traitor."

Idate only glanced at you, then away before he began to explain. "It hit me hard when I failed the first Chuunin Exam; I didn't know what to do. Aoi-Sensei tricked me, told me there was another way I could become a chuunin. He had me steal the Scroll of Sealing and the Legendary Blade of the Thunder Spirit used by the second Hokage. I could become a chuunin, but in the Hidden Rain Village. I didn't have a choice; I could go with Aoi, or stay in Konoha and be punished. I never saw Konoha again after that day…Nothing I do goes right. I've never been of any use to anyone, except to Boss Jirochou. Even though I was no good, he still trusted me and now…I've let him down."

Your team was silent. Idate glanced down to the pocketknife in his hand and tears began to slip down his cheeks.

"I'm worthless. Everything I do goes wrong. Aoi said it and he was right…I'd be better off dead!"

"So that's it?" you cut in. "You're giving up?"

"I've already lost! I've let everyone down!" Idate shouted back, shaking his head.

"Stop it! You said it yourself, you've got one person who believes in you, right!?" Naruto got to his feet, grabbing ahold of Idate's shoulders. "One person is enough! That's all anyone needs! Don't even think of quitting; who says this race is over? You have no way of knowing how things are going to turn out!"

"Yeah but…" Idate wouldn't look him in the eye.

"Come on! On your feet!" Naruto demanded, grabbing Idate's arms and pulling him up.

"Stop it, Naruto! He's still far too weak to move!" Sakura tried.

"If he can't run then I'll carry him on my back the whole way if I need to!" Naruto shot back.

Idate pulled himself out of Naruto's grasp, falling back down. He glared up at the boy. "The other runner already reached Modoroki!"

"You're not quitting, understand!" Naruto grabbed the collar of Idate's shirt, pulling his face up to meet his.

"Naruto…" Sakura got to her feet, meaning to make her way over, but Sasuke's hand shot out and caught her wrist.

"Sakura…" Sasuke said in warning, keeping his stare on the two boys.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, looking back at him.

"Just leave this one to Naruto…" you said for Sasuke, your eyes also on the pair.

"Jirochou's counting on you and you don't want to keep him waiting. Pull yourself together!" Naruto continued. He let go of Idate and he dropped back to the ground. "Are you really going to quit now when you've finally gotten the opportunity you've been waiting for your whole life? To show someone he was right to depend on you, to believe in you!"

Idate stared up at Naruto for a long moment before his eye finally narrowed in determination. "Alright, I'll do it!"

"Alright! Then let's go!" Naruto nearly cheered. He dropped down, collecting Idate on his back. Idate grabbed onto Naruto's shoulders and Naruto was on his feet, dashing out of the cave.

You glanced to your remaining teammates as Idate and Naruto disappeared from view. You sighed. "I guess we'd better follow."

* * *

"Sakura, are you sure we're on the right path?" you asked, glancing over to your pink-haired teammate.

You, Sakura and Sasuke had been running for a while now still without any sight of Naruto or Idate.

"I already checked the map twice and told you yes!" Sakura glared over at you.

'Was Naruto really that fast? Or did we just take a long time to get going?'

"You trust no one!"

You came to a halt, holding out both arms to stop your teammates. "Sssh, do you guys hear that?"

The three of you strained to listen. You were just about to come over a hill where you knew a long bridge should be that would lead to the final island.

The voice continued, carrying over to you. "I couldn't have asked for a better student."

You gasped. "That's Aoi!"

You took off, speeding up the rest of the hill with Sasuke and Sakura right behind you.

"As a reward, Idate, I will kill you quickly!"

You sprinted to the top of the hill in time to see Idate on the ground. Aoi was standing above Idate with a sword raised. The blade appeared to be made out of solid electricity and was glowing yellow.

'That's the Thunder Blade used by the second Hokage! Keitaro told me about it! It can cut through anything; even chakra!'

You acted as Aoi brought the blade down on Idate. You pulled out several kunai and sailed them straight at Aoi. Aoi's eyes flashed and he turned, using the blade to knock down the kunais. The kunais fell harmlessly to the ground at Aoi's feet and he glared up, his eyes resting on you.

"You guys, just in time!" Naruto exclaimed happily. He was half-lying on the ground just in front of you. Several needles were sticking out of his legs.

"Don't sweat it, Naruto. Just sit back and leave this clown to me," Sasuke said, his eyes set on Aoi.

Naruto smirked, sitting up. "This clown's tougher than you think."

"Don't get too cocky, Sasuke," you muttered, glancing over to him.

"It doesn't make any difference how many of you there are," Aoi held up the Thunder Blade. "You'll never defeat me. I'm Aoi of the Rain and I wield the blade of the Thunder Spirit."

"Is that so," Sasuke activated his Sharingan and then his Chidori. "Perfect. The Thunder Blade versus my Chidori. Let's see which one is stronger!"

You sucked in a breath of anticipation as Sasuke took off running at Aoi, the arm activated with Chidori pulled back. Sasuke flung his hand forward and the blue Chidori met with the yellow Thunder Blade. Sasuke cried out in effort as he attempted to push against the blade, but to no avail. The Thunder Blade broke through and a yellow bolt of electricity seemed to zap through Sasuke. Sasuke called out, jumping backwards.

This did not deter Sasuke. He took out a kunai and immediately went after Aoi again. Aoi and Sasuke parried against one another several times before winding up in a lock, each other pushing against the other's blade.

"I see that the stories are true," Aoi smirked as his and Sasuke's faces were only inches away. "I'd always heard that the last of the great Uchiha Clan was a hopeless loser unworthy of his family name."

You gasped. 'Oh no.'

The insult struck Sasuke to his core and in his momentary lapse, Aoi pushed Sasuke back. Electricity shocked the Uchiha and he flew back towards your group, landing hard on his back.

"Sasuke!" you cried, making to run to him.

Idate hopped to his feet. "No, Nakao! He'll kill us all! Run away while you still can!"

"What are you, crazy!?" you turned a glare on him. "We're not just gunna leave you here! Besides!" you turned a glare on Aoi. "You're not going to get away with what you just did!"

"Yes, well then, back to the matter at hand," Aoi looked amused. He glanced behind him at Idate. "Idate, time to start your journey to the next world."

You gritted your teeth, reaching for another kunai. Before you could do anything, however, Sasuke shakily got to his feet in front of you.

"Take it back…" Sasuke sounded slightly weak but he still stood as tall as he could facing Aoi. "Take back what you said."

"What are you talking about?" Aoi seemed genuinely confused.

"I'm warning you, don't mess with me!" Sasuke activated his Chidori again.

"Sasuke, no!" you screamed out, but to no avail.

With a loud cry, Sasuke ran at Aoi, thrusting the Chidori at his face. Surprised, Aoi held his blade up, intercepting Sasuke's Chidori. Sasuke was pushing Aoi back at first, sending a blinding flash of white light throughout the clearing, but it didn't last for long. The light died down to reveal Sasuke suspended in air by the sheer electricity emitted by Aoi's blade.

Sasuke screamed out in pain as he was wrapped in the vortex of electricity. As the handle of the blade were a baton, Aoi directed Sasuke behind him and threw him towards the bridge that was suspended above a large canyon. It was as Sasuke landed on the wooden planks of the bridge, unconscious, that you noticed that two primary suspensory ropes had been cut. The bridge rocked sickeningly as Sasuke landed.

"Sasuke!" you yelled out.

Reaching for a kunai, you threw it straight for Aoi's heart. He jumped up to avoid the weapon. As he did so, you sprinted forwards, past Idate and to the bridge. You fell to you knees on the dirt ground before the bridge, grabbing onto Sasuke's wrist.

"Sasuke! Wake up!" you tried, but he was out cold. You gritted your teeth together, crawling onto the bridge to grab hold of the boy.

"It's a long way to the bottom of the sea," Aoi smirked, raising his blade to the remaining rope holding the bridge up.

"No!" Idate yelled out, running at Aoi. Aoi only slashed his blade at Idate and he went flying back towards Naruto.

"Idate!" Naruto called out.

You glanced over to see the commotion just in time to see Aoi slash his blade through the last rope holding the bridge to land. You gasped, as you immediately felt the bridge give way. You grabbed firmly hold of Sasuke before the two of you plummeted off of the cliff.

"Nakao!" you heard Naruto cry.

His cry was drowned by yours as you and Sasuke flew towards the sea and jagged rocks awaiting you at the bottom of the cliff.


	31. The Finish Line

You knew you were screaming as you plummeted to your certain death, but you couldn't hear it. The only noise you could hear was the rushing wind around your falling body. You were clutching Sasuke to your chest and he was still unconscious.

'Okay, Nakao! Think!' You carefully held onto Sasuke with one arm, freeing your other. 'I need to focus my chakra!'

You did so, speedily, to your now-free left hand and to the soles of your feet. You twisted your body in the air so that you were now facing the cliff wall. You stuck your feet out, attempting to attach them to the rocky wall. Due to the fast velocity of your fall, however, your feet were only continuing to slide down. You gritted your teeth together and threw your hand onto the wall, grasping for something to hold onto.

You winced in pain as your fingertips scraped against the rock. You could already see the blood coming from them. Finally, your hand caught hold of a tiny ledge and you held on, with the help of your chakra. You stuck more chakra into your feet, trying to keep yourself held here.

You let out a relieved sigh. 'Thank-'

Just then, the rock beneath your fingers crumbled. You screamed out again as you and Sasuke fell…four a second or two. Then your back hit something hard.

You let out a grunt of pain as you and Sasuke landed on a large ledge. You sat up, putting a hand to your now-throbbing back. Glancing over your shoulder, you noted that the ledge was only ten feet above the rushing sea water and lethal rocks.

You ran a hand through your bangs. "Whew…that was close."

You glanced back to your teammate. When you had landed, he had dislodged from your grip and lay a foot away. He was on his side, knees slightly curled upwards. His black bangs were strewn across his face. He was completely unconscious. He looked peaceful; if you didn't know any better, you'd think he was sleeping.

You sighed, crawling over to your teammate. Placing a hand on his shoulder, you gently shook him. "Sasuke?"

No response. A deep frown etched itself into your features. You slowly looked upwards, your eyes scaling the long drop you and Sasuke had taken. There was only one way off of this ledge…you groaned.

You glanced back to Sasuke. "Looks like I'm going to be hauling your ass up the cliff. Dammit Sasuke, when we get back to Konoha, you're going on a diet."

You took in a deep breath of air, prepping yourself. This was going to take a lot of energy. Just as you got to your feet, however, a scream reached your ears.

"Huh?"

You glanced up to see something…or some_one_ falling down towards you. You watched with wide eyes as Aoi flew past you and straight into the watery depths below. You watched the water below foam as it swallowed your enemy before you slowly glanced back up the cliff.

A grinned broke out on your face and you punched a fist in the air. "Alright Naruto!"

You glanced back to Sasuke. He was still unconscious.

"Nakao?" Naruto's voice rang out around you.

You glanced back up. You thought you could see several shadows at the very top of the cliff, but it was hard to see from where you were at and the sun was blinding your vision.

"Naruto!" you called up, hands cupped around your mouth to let the sound travel. "I've got Sasuke!"

"Hold on! I'll have you out of there in no time!" Naruto shouted down to you, obvious relief in his voice.

"No!" you called back immediately. "I've got this one! You and Sakura just get Idate to the finish line! If he doesn't win this thing I'm gunna be really pissed off!"

You sighed as you looked back to Sasuke. You rubbed the back of your head.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Your head shot up to see Naruto, Sakura and Idate flying towards the other side of the cliff using a rope from the bridge. The only problem was, they had cut the rope entirely too long and they were headed straight into the side of the cliff.

'Idiots! I thought Sakura was smarter than that!' you thought, eye twitching, but then you heard Sakura direct something.

As the three met the cliff side, Naruto and Sakura applied chakra to their feet, attaching them to the cliff wall just as you had earlier. Naruto carried Idate by the front and they ran up the side of the cliff.

"Good work, you guys!" you called out as they disappeared from view.

Naruto ran back to the side of the cliff, waving a hand widely in the air. "Sit tight, Nakao! I'll be back to help you before you know it!"

"Hurry up!" you called. You watched until Naruto turned around and the three were no longer in sight.

You sat down beside Sasuke, cross-legged. "Well, Sasuke, guess that means I don't have to carry your ass up the cliff."

You looked down at the boy and frowned. How strong had those electrical currents been? His face seemed fine, only his hair was slightly frazzled. Sitting on your knees, you leaned over Sasuke and pulled his shirt up. You gasped.

Sasuke's chest and abdomen were burnt. You were sure how bad the burns were, but they were bad enough. The faint scent of burnt flesh wafted into your nostrils. You choked and put Sasuke's shirt back down. Regaining your composure, you placed a hand to Sasuke's cheek, watching him sadly.

"Oh, Sasuke…"

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Naruto to get back to you and Sasuke and he and Sakura promptly hauled you and Sasuke up by using a rope. You quickly asked if Idate had won, and Naruto had told you yes with a big grin on his face. Sakura was so happy she barely recognized the fact that Sasuke was still unconscious.

It was a short ways from where you were now, to the finish line. Naruto and Sakura rushed you there, excited to see Idate receive the official proclamation of winning. A ginormous crowd was gathered and they were all cheering and clapping as Idate stepped out of the shrine and in front of the crowd. Naruto shouldered a way to the front and you kept close to him, following him to the front. You arrived just in time to see Idate take his spot up on the winner's box.

"Winner: Morino Idate!" a short, overweight man proclaimed.

The crowd erupted into even more applause. The cheering was thunderous.

"Yay!" Sakura cheered delightedly, on the other side of Naruto.

Something stirring beside you caught your attention. You blinked to see that Sasuke was waking up. Previously, his head had been resting on your shoulder, for you were holding him to you by holding his arm around your neck with your left hand and holding his body close to yours with your right.

"Sasuke?" you asked.

The boy slowly peeled his eyes open. He seemed disoriented at first but slowly, he was able to lift his head. He turned his onyx-colored eyes on you. You were so happy to see he was awake.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," you teased.

Sasuke looked incredibly tired.

"How are you feeling?" you asked more seriously but you didn't get a response, for a scene commenced up by Idate.

"That's enough of that!" a voice caught your attention. It was the leader of the Wagarashi Family. He walked up to where Idate and Jirochou stood. "It seems that Idate rode on the back of a hired ninja half of the race. That's a violation."

"What!?" you and Naruto exclaimed at the same time.

"I have proof," the man brought out a photograph from a pocket within his jacket. He held it out, revealing a picture of Naruto carrying Idate on his back.

One of the feudal lords stepped up beside the man. "They have to make it here on their own strength. Those are the rules of this race. The boy must be disqualified, which means that Fusuke is the winner."

Idate's face shown pure horror as he and Jirochou watched the pair.

"That's total bullshit!" you yelled out, but no one paid any mind to you.

"But w-wait a minute…" Idate started.

"I'll have no excuses," the feudal lord cut him off. "Jirochou, you gave your word. I want the Wasabi Family to disband immediately."

"Just a moment," everyone watched as a man strode up to Jirochou. He was very heavy set with a large, round face and tiny eyes. "There are no such rules, stop talking nonsense."

"B-But, my lord," the previous feudal lord stammered. The newest arrival must have been the top of the feudal lord chain.

"But what? Are you suggesting I let the Wagarashi win simply because you wish it?" the new arrival asked, clearly hinting at something in his voice.

"N-No!" the other lord tried, waving a hand rapidly in front of him.

"Perhaps the reason you want them to win so badly is because you've been accepting bribes," his superior suggested, reaching into his cloak and pulling out his own photograph. It was a picture of the other lord taking money from the head family leader of the Wagarashi.

The other lord grimaced, his eyes wide with fear.

"You ignoramus, you'll give up your position immediately," the superior lord ordered.

"Y-Yes my lord," the ex-lord bowed.

"And you, Kirokou," the lord turned his gaze on the other man. "I have heard a great deal about the evil deeds you have committed. Your crimes against the people are unforgivable! From this day forth, the Wagarashi Family is no more. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir…" Kirokou bowed, sounding as if he wanted to cry.

In turn, the feudal lord laughed joyously. His belly even shook as he did so. He walked in front of Idate. "Now, let's consider this matter ended."

Everyone around you cheered.

* * *

"I want to thank you for all your help, Naruto," Idate said.

It was later the next day and the sun was beginning to set, casting an orange hue on everything. Jirochou had contacted Konoha and they had sent a large, wooden boat over because of Sasuke's injuries. Poor Sasuke couldn't even walk.

Right now, he was lying on a stretcher held by two citizens from the Tea Country. They were standing beside Naruto and Sakura as Idate said goodbye. You stood directly next to Sasuke, your hand on his arm the entire time. To your honest surprise, Sakura was the furthest from the injured Uchiha and was fully focused on Idate.

"Yeah, well, it was my pleasure," Naruto smiled.

At that moment, a figure appeared on the ramp that connected your boat to shore. He was tall and bald with his headband tied like a bandana around his head. His face was marred by two scars. He stopped, staring down at everyone. "I've come to get the wounded."

"Ibiki-sensei!" Sakura announced as everyone turned to look at Ibiki.

"Big brother!" Idate's eyes were wide, his voice filled with excitement.

Ibiki's face did not change, nor did he show any sign of having known Idate. "Where is the wounded?"

"Over here," you announced, sounding sad, much to your dismay. You were trying to hide your concern for Sasuke from your teammates.

"Okay," Ibiki nodded. "Let's get him on the boat then."

"Oh, right," Naruto said, marching up the ramp to the boat. The two with the stretcher were next, with you following closely behind. Sakura had stopped to address Ibiki, but you were no longer paying attention to anything else.

The two carrying the stretcher set it down on the opposite side of the boat. Carefully, they helped Sasuke sit up and then slid the stretcher out from beneath him. He now sat on the wooden floorboards, his back against the wall. His left arm was in a sling. While Naruto and Sakura remained on the other side of the boat, saying goodbyes to Idate and those who had come to see you off, you stayed with Sasuke, taking a seat beside him. You were silent as you pulled your knees up to your chest, your shoulder nearly touching Sasuke's.

"So long Idate, see you again someday!" Naruto grinned, standing at the edge of the boat.

Sakura stood beside him. "You take care now!"

"You guys come back any time!" Idate waved.

"Bye!" Naruto called out.

"So long!" Sakura waved.

As the boat took off from pier and began its journey back to Konoha, you glanced over at Sasuke. His head was bowed, his eyes closed. The sound of footsteps nearing you brought your attention up.

Sakura walked up to the two of you, stopping before Sasuke. She bent at the waist. "Sasuke, does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't," Sasuke replied, glancing up at her.

"Oh good. Don't worry, those wounds will heal once we get back to the village," Sakura smiled before moving away to talk to Naruto.

"Sure…" Sasuke said quietly, bowing his head once more.

Your full attention was on Sasuke and you watched him with distress. He looked _sad_. Then, slowly, you walked his expression turn to anger. He shook as his vision glanced over in Naruto's direction.

"Sasuke?" you said quietly.

Sasuke stopped shaking and his shoulders slumped as the tension rolled off of them. Slowly, he turned to face you.

You stared into Sasuke's face with sad eyes. "What is it?"

Sasuke stared at you for a moment before tearing his head away, staring down at his lap once more. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me," you pleaded.

Sasuke still did not speak to you, nor did he even look at you. Sadly, you glanced up to peer over at Naruto. He was leaning over the boat, still waving although your boat was pretty far away from shore now. You slowly glanced back to Sasuke.

Slowly, carefully, as though not to frighten off a skittish animal, you brought up a hand and gently laid it on Sasuke's shoulders. He didn't tense or show any indication that he knew you had even done it. You watched him sadly for a moment before you let yourself lean into Sasuke, almost like you were going to lay your head on your shoulder.

This time, Sasuke did tense, but said nothing. You stared up at the sky as the pink clouds hovered overhead. You could feel the comfort of Sasuke's body against yours, but not the comfort in the air.

Sitting beside Sasuke, you bowed your head so that your chin nearly rested on your chest. The two of you sat like that, indulged in your thoughts as you made your way home.


	32. A Question Better Left Unasked

You walked down the hallway leading to the Hokage's office. It was at the end of the hall and behind two large, wooden doors. Your feet made soft echoes against the wooden-paneled floor. You had been summoned to the Hokage's office, but you weren't sure why. Stopping at the doors, you rapped on the thick oak.

"Come," you heard Tsunade's voice call to you. You opened the door, closing it gently behind you after you had walked inside.

The office looked the same as it did when the third Hokage had occupied it. Tsunade was sitting behind the large, oak desk, her golden eyes watching you. Already standing in front of her desk was Nara Shikamaru. As you walked over, he glanced at you. The look on his face showed that he was just as confused as you were. You stopped before the desk, bowing at the waist to Tsunade.

Tsunade only nodded before getting right to the point. "As much as I don't understand it, before the third Hokage died he had nothing but the highest praise for both of your matches. It seems he meant to recommend you for Chuunin. In fact, all of those who observed the fight and your proctors felt the same. From this day on, I hope you strive to achieve a level of excellence worthy of that headband. Congratulations to the two of you. As of this moment, you stand a Chuunin."

'Chuunin?' you were completely surprised. You glanced over at Shikamaru, who seemed completely unfazed.

Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, approached you and Shikamaru with a smile on her face. In each hand she held a Chuunin vest. They were the traditional forest green (that just happened to match your pants) with a red circle on the back where the village's kanji was printed in black. There were small pockets on the breasts, just like Kakashi-sensei's. Yours was smaller and less bulky than Shikamaru's in order to fit your slender, female form.

You held the vest out in front of you, staring at it in awe. You glanced over at Shikamaru, who glanced over to you. Simultaneously, the two of you slipped your new vests on.

* * *

Hands in the pockets of your pants, you climbed the cement steps of Konoha Hospital. The sun was so bright today that when you stepped through the sliding doors of the hospital, you saw spots in front of your eyes. You rapidly blinked them away to see a familiar figure standing at the reception desk.

"Naruto!" you called, stretching an arm in the air to wave.

Naruto turned to see who had called your name and smiled. He waved back. "Nakao!"

Your footsteps echoed off of the tiled floor as you met Naruto at the desk. You grabbed the clipboard, noticing Sakura's name scribbled above Naruto's. She had been here at least an hour already. You glanced up from the clipboard as you wrote your name. "You're just now getting around to visiting our dear Sasuke?"

You smiled playfully. You were still in high spirits now that Sasuke was awake. Not to mention the new vest you sported. Naruto pointed accusingly at you. "Ah! What about you!?"

"I've been busy," you smirked smugly, shifting your eyes to the upper-right playfully.

It took Naruto a minute but finally he figured out what was missing about you. "Nakao! You got promoted to Chuunin!?"

"That's right," you grinned. "Me and Shikamaru."

"That's awesome! I can't believe it!" Naruto seemed genuinely happy for you.

You chuckled to yourself as your cheeks flushed pink.

"Come on! Let's go tell Sakura and Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes lit up excitedly and practically sprinted down the hallway.

With a smile on your face, you walked after the boy. You reached the door moments after Naruto and he had left it open for you. Just as you reached the doorway **CRASH**!

'What the-?'

You stepped into the room. Sakura was standing at Sasuke's bedside. An abandoned stool sat behind her. Sasuke was sitting up in bed, white sheets covering his legs. His arm was raised, his head bowed and Sakura was flinching.

Your eyes wandered to the tiled floor. There sat a shattered plate and slices of apples. You made the connection that Sasuke must have slapped the plate from Sakura's hands. Naruto was standing just inside the room, a look of confusion written on his face.

"What the hell is going on?" you asked, stepping further into the room.

Sasuke slowly raised his head. His eyes flickered to you for a fleeting second, but then they found Naruto. Sasuke and Naruto stared at one another. Sort of. Sasuke was glaring venomously at Naruto. His face was full of pure _hatred_. Naruto only looked confused.

"What's with the look?" he asked.

Sakura was glancing between the two, looking worried, a finger curled near her lips.

"Naruto, I want you to fight me," Sasuke said, his voice as dead-panned and serious as could be. Behind it you could hear…_bitterness_? "Fight me now."

Sakura gasped.

"What?" Naruto's face went totally slack but his voice announced his confusion. "We're at a hospital; you just got patched up by Tsunade-sama. What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, Sasuke, this is hardly the time. What is this-"you started to ask.

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, cutting you off. You took a step back in surprise. That wasn't a tone you were used to hearing. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, still staring intensely at Naruto. "Fight me! You really think she saved me? I don't care if she's the fifth Hokage; you shouldn't have gotten her involved in this."

"What?" Naruto gritted his teeth together, now also beginning to glare.

You were still confused, your attention set on Sasuke. Your eyes were wide, your back stiff. 'Has Sasuke finally lost it?'

Sasuke suddenly threw back the sheets covering his legs and hopped to his feet. He stood just two feet in front of Naruto. "You did say you wanted to fight, right? Well it seems you have your chance. That is, unless you've chickened out?"

Naruto gritted his teeth together. He was clearly uncomfortable about this.

"Wait, Sasuke," Sakura looked between the two boys, pleading. "Don't do this! Naruto, say something! This is crazy!"

"Actually, this is just perfect," Naruto smirked at Sasuke. "I was just thinking about how I wanted to kick your ass!"

Sakura suddenly pivoted, looking now at you still standing near the door. "Nakao, do something!"

Your wide eyes slowly found her face. It was filled with fear. You suddenly shook your head and stepped up closer to Sakura. "You guys, quit it. Okay? This is ridiculous."

Despite your interjection, neither of the two boys paid any mind to you.

"Follow me," Sasuke said to Naruto, inclining his head. Naruto smirked in response.

You immediately trailed after Sasuke and Naruto as they left the room. Sakura slowly followed behind you. Sasuke brought Naruto to a stairway and up they started to climb. You quickly clambered up the stairs after them.

"You guys, knock it off!" you tried, calling after the boys but to no avail.

The two continued up the stairs until they reached a door. Opening it, Sasuke and Naruto walked onto the hospital rooftop. You were right behind them, not bothering to hold the door for Sakura, who was lagging behind. The two continued to walk until they reached the center of the rooftop. A chain-linked fence ran along the perimeter of the building. As the two stopped, several feet away from each other, facing one another, you stopped too, a good six feet away from the pair.

As the two stared at one another for a long moment, Naruto let out a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke glared.

"I'm not laughing because it's funny. I'm just stoked," Naruto said cockily. "Because I know, today is the day when I finally beat you."

This was obviously not the comment Sasuke wanted to hear and his face contorted in anger. Realization bolted through your body and your eyes widened. 'Sasuke's jealous of Naruto!'

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked harshly. "Don't talk nonsense you inept loser."

You gasped. "Sasuke!" You glanced between the two uneasily. "Both of you, stop this right now!"

"I won't be such a loser after I win today, will I?" Naruto glared at Sasuke, completely ignoring you.

"An idiot like you has no business acting high and mighty!"

"Ha! What happened to the calm, controlled Sasuke? Am I making you nervous?" Naruto mocked Sasuke. "It looks like you picked a fight with me and now you're too scared to go through with it."

"Let's do this!" Sasuke glared.

"Put on your headband on and we will; I'll wait."

"Not to worry, I don't need that thing," Sasuke smirk was one of deviance. It sent shivers down your spine.

"Just do it, come on!" Naruto glared.

"There's no reason to put it on," Sasuke pointed to his forehead with his thumb. "Because you won't be able to make a scratch on my forehead."

"That's not the point!" Naruto shook his head angrily. "Come on! You know that putting your headband on is a testimate of fighting on equal terms as a Leaf shinobi!"

"There you go, acting all high and mighty again. You don't honestly believe that we're equals!"

"Hell yeah I do!" Naruto retorted. "All this time I've never thought I was inferior to you in any way!"

"You're a complete embarrassment!" Sasuke swiped his arm out viciously.

"Only because, next to me, you're embarrassed at how weak you are! Isn't that right, Sasuke!"

This sent Sasuke over the edge. He rushed at Naruto, and Naruto copied his movements. They both pulled back a fist to punch one another, but when they met, they caught each other's fists and struggled against one another. Sasuke tried to kick at Naruto's abdomen, but Naruto quickly blocked it. Grabbing onto Sasuke legs, he swung him around. Sasuke maneuvered his body so that he could place both palms on the ground. Once he had leverage, he used his free leg to kick Naruto right in the gut.

Naruto flew back in the air, but he quickly back flipped and flew right back down towards Sasuke, fist pulled back. Sasuke only caught him, throwing him away, but Naruto twisted and landed gracefully on his feet. Sasuke rushed Naruto again, sending a series of punches at Naruto that were so fast they were only blurs. Naruto was blocking them completely until Sasuke finally got a hit in. His fist caught Naruto's chin and the boy flew backwards, smashing threw several clothes lines and landing on the ground.

You could only stand, watching the pair. You were paralyzed. Should you rush in and stop the boys? Would that even do any good?

As you pondered over what you should do, the boys continued to fight. Naruto rushed back at Sasuke, managing to catch Sasuke's face with his fist due to the sun blinding Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke flew backwards but he flipped, landing on the fence. He immediately pushed off of it, flying at Naruto.

"Don't let your guard down!" Sasuke yelled as he punched Naruto square in the jaw.

Naruto flew backwards in the air. Sasuke caught up to him and was soon kicking him to the ground. Naruto fell into a clothesline and a white sheet fell over him. Sasuke met him before he could rip the sheet off and punched him so hard that his body flew into the chain-linked fence. From there, Sasuke continued to punch Naruto in the abdomen continuously without mercy.

You watched horrified. 'This is it! I've got to do something!'

You ran forward, your feet soft sounds against the ground. You got behind Sasuke, reach an arm out to grab his shoulder. "Sasuke, stop-!"

Before you could finish your sentence, Sasuke pivoted, ramming a fist into your abdomen. You flew backwards, hitting the ground on your side. You coughed and began to wheeze, trying to catch your breath. You glanced up at Sasuke with shaking eyes. Sasuke had just _struck _you.

This fight had serious repercussions and it needed to end. Sasuke wasn't definitely out here to knock Naruto unconscious if need be. If Naruto were to win, he'd do it without serious hurting Sasuke. But then Sasuke would be even more enraged than he already was.

Your distraction had given Naruto time to throw the sheet off and he kicked Sasuke in the gut. Sasuke flew backwards but back flipped. The two met in the air and began a showdown of kicks and punches. Sasuke kicked Naruto down towards the ground, but Naruto flipped and landed gracefully.

As Sasuke landed, Naruto activated his Shadow Clone Jutsu. In moments, Sasuke was completely surrounded by Naruto clones. You were lying just outside of the Naruto-clone perimeter. The clones all attacked but Sasuke held his own, fighting off the clones that came after him. Sasuke leapt into the air, forming the tiger seal.

Your eyes widened. 'He's gunna use his fire jutsu!?'

Sasuke pinched his fingers together, spewing fire over the Naruto clones. They began to disappear in clouds of smoke, one by one. You quickly activated your own kekki genki, pulling wind around you like a shield. The fire hit your wind and disappeared. The force of your jutsu swept over the rest of the flames, completely wiping them away. All the clones were gone but to Narutos remained…and they were focusing the chakra in one Naruto's hand for the Resengan!

"Naruto, no!" you screamed, hopping to your feet.

Sasuke, still up in the air, activated his Chidori. With cries, they flew at each other, Naruto leaping into the air, Sasuke descending.

'They're gunna kill each other!'

"You guys, quit it!" you screamed before taking off from your spot.

"Nakao!" you heard Sakura screech.

As you ran, your fingers moved swiftly through hand signs. Your plan was to whip up a twister and throw it between the boys. But just as you reached your last hand sign, you felt something grab you by the back of your shirt and you were being thrown, sprawling, to the ground.

You immediately sat up, returning your attention to the boys. Kakashi-sensei stood between them and grabbed each boy by the wrist and sent them flying away from one another. You winced as you heard two separate crashes. You glanced up to Kakashi.

Kakashi was standing with a hand on his hip, staring in the direction he had thrown the boys. "What are you two doing up here? That was a little intense for just a sparring match wasn't it? What's wrong with you two?"

The boys said nothing. Naruto had flown into concrete amd was on his knees, recovering. Sasuke had slammed into a metal water tank and his fist was completely twisted in the metal. With a pull, he managed to yank his fist out and a waterfall of water rushed across the rooftop.

"What were you thinking? Were you really going to kill him, Sasuke?" Kakashi-sensei asked. He was now sitting atop of the water tank, staring down at Sasuke. "You really need to watch this sense of superiority. I did not teach you the Chidori so that you could use it against your comrade. When are you finally going to grow up, Sasuke?"

Sasuke only glared up at Kakashi-sensei, then over at Naruto. With a sneer, he back flipped over the fence surrounding the rooftop.

"Son of a bitch!" you hissed, rushing to the fence. You arrived just in time, peering through the chain-links to see Sasuke dashing away. You groaned, running a hand over your face.

Whimpering came from behind you and you pivoted to find Sakura standing several feet away, crying. "Kakashi-sensei…"

"Sakura, quit crying. Act like a kunochi," you snapped.

Sakura gasped and raised her head to look at you. Her eyes were shaking, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Nakao," Kakashi-sensei said in warning.

You sighed and glanced away from Sakura and to the ground. "Yeah, yeah, I'll play nice."

"No. What were you thinking?" Kakashi-sensei turned his glare at you as you glanced up to him in surprise.

"I was-wait, what?" you were taken aback.

"Do you know what your wind could have caused?"

"I don't-"

"Those are two power attacks; you can't just blindly run into something like that!" Kakashi-sensei lectured.

You grew defensive. "What was I supposed to do!? _Abandon _my friends!?"

This halted Kakashi.

You glared. "I'm gunna go find Sasuke."

Before Kakashi-sensei could say anything else, you turned your back and ran. You ran past Sakura, whose eyes followed you with tears pouring from them. You threw open the door to the stairwell and bounded down the stairs, your feet bouncing echoes off of the cement walls.

You sighed now that the sun was setting, casting its orange hue upon the land. You stopped in the middle of the dirt road, running fingers through your thick bangs in a very Keitaro-like manner. You swear you had searched this whole damn village but you couldn't find this damn Uchiha.

Feeling morose, you looked ahead. The stone faces of the Hokages were staring down at you. Putting your hands in your pockets and made your way in that direction.

Ten minutes later, you stood atop the academy building, lower-back leaning against the railing running along the edges of the rooftop. You were staring at a set of three, cement stairs. There was a breeze this evening and you shook your head, ridding your brunette locks from your eyes.

You couldn't believe it had been over a year since you had sat on that third step before a stranger and next to a pink-haired spaz, a blonde-haired spaz and an emo kid who only knew one facial expression. You sighed.

How had those three idiots, four if you counted Kakashi-sensei, become so important to you? Well, maybe not Sakura. You and her would probably never get along. Her obsession with Sasuke was beyond irritating, acting all high and mighty around you. Seriously? You had been friends with Sasuke first.

Your head snapped up with realization. There was one place you hadn't checked. Pushing yourself away from the railing, you dashed up the cement steps and bounded down the stairway.

* * *

Your feet crunched on the dry leaves. The breeze had turned into wind and it blew your hair across your face. You stopped before the stone structure in front of you. Crouching, you slid beneath the bridge.

"I thought I might find you here," you said as you sat down, eyes set in front of you on two crudely drawn stick figures.

Sasuke remained silent. You finally glanced over to the boy. He was sitting, his back against the stone behind you. One knee was pulled up to his chest. His left wrist dangled from it. His eyes were set on the wall in front of him. Whether or not he was looking at the pictures, you did not know.

"So…" you clicked your tongue, turning your gaze back to the wall. "Do you want to tell me what the hell that was all about?"

Just before you thought he wasn't going to tell you, he finally spoke. "You wouldn't understand."

"Let me try," you said quietly. You turned your head to see that Sasuke was already watching you. You glanced away again.

"I need to be strong enough to kill him…"

"It takes time, Sasuke-"

"I don't have time, Nakao," Sasuke said, prompting you to look over at him again. He was looking down. "I'll never get strong enough here."

Your eyebrows crinkled together. "What are you saying, Sasuke?"

He did not reply.

"Sasuke-kun?" you asked again, quieter and uncertain.

Sasuke turned his eyes on you. They were so tired, with bags beneath them. Looking at them made you sad. They looked…defeated.

Sasuke finally sighed, closing his eyes. "Nothing, Nakao."

You watched Sasuke, eyebrows crinkled. There was a frown on your face. You finally sighed, realizing there was nothing you could say or do for the boy. "Look, I have to go. I was supposed to meet Kiba awhile ago."

It was true, you had told Kiba this morning you would see him after you were done visiting Sasuke. Well, it was night now and Kiba was probably wandering where the heck you were.

Sasuke said nothing and only turned away from you. He seemed so…sad? It made your heart ache. Perhaps that's why you did what you did next. A year ago, you would have thought this insane, but now, you thought nothing of it. You got to your knees, but instead of making your way out from under the bridge, you pivoted, wrapping your arms around Sasuke's neck and pulling him against you. You held on tight, burying your face in his neck.

You felt Sasuke stiffen. His arms were rigid at his side. It was like a deer caught in the headlights, he had no idea what to do. You held him for what felt like ten minutes before letting him go. As you pulled away, you looked directly into his eyes.

Sasuke's eyes were a whirlwind of emotions. Confusion, surprise, pain? But you didn't have time to question it. You had probably over stayed your welcome. Ignoring how close you were to Sasuke and how much you wanted to stay there, you tore yourself away. You felt Sasuke watch you as you crawled out from beneath the bridge and into the night.

* * *

You sat on your bed, cross-legged. A picture frame sat in your lap. All the lights in your house were off but it was a full moon out tonight. You had yet to close the curtains in your room and the moonlight leaked in, casting its bluish light on the photo.

Team seven stared up at you. You smiled bitterly at the memory of that day.

_" . . !" Sakura gritted her teeth, pushing against your body with hers. She was still trying to smile as you yelled at you, for the picture could take at any moment._

_You only pushed back, smirking triumphantly. Sakura was pissed because you were standing closer to Sasuke. The girl really needed to get her priorities in line._

_Meanwhile, Naruto was busy glaring over at Sasuke. He had been grumbling the entire time. Something about "pompous ass" and "can't believe it!"._

_Sakura shoved at you again. Annoyed, you crossed your arms over your chest. You were stronger and with some pushing from you, Sakura was forced in front of Naruto. You grinned triumphantly just as the flash of a photograph being taken made spots form in front of your eyes._

'Things seemed so much simpler back then…'

Sighing, you brought your head up and gazed up at the ceiling. Your team was deteriorating. You friendship with Kiba was getting rocky. Your lateness today did nothing to help the strained relationship. And your brother was dead, gone.

You couldn't help that your brother was gone, but you could repair your friendship and try to fix your team. That would be tomorrow's agenda. For now, you yawned, stretching your arms to the ceiling. It was bed time.

Feeling too lazy to get up, you placed the photo on the ground next to your bed. Lying back in bed, you stared up at the ceiling. What a horrible day. 'What else could go wrong?'


	33. To the Rescue

It was the frantic pounding on your door that awoke you.

You mumbled sleepily, rolling over.

"Nakao!"

You bolted upright at the calling of your name. Someone was shouting at your door. It was a male voice.

More pounding on your door. Any harder and the wood might splinter. "Nakao!"

You flung your blankets away from you. You swung your legs over your bed. Hopping out, you heard a crunch beneath your feet. Gasping, you stumbled back to find that you had stepped on the picture frame you had left on the floor last night. The glass had not hurt you but it was shattered, starting over Sasuke's face and branching out over the photo. 'Shit!'

"NAKAO!"

Completely forgetting about the picture frame, you shook your head and dashed through the living room to the front door. You undid your chain lock and opened the door to find Shikamaru staring at you.

"Shikamaru?" you asked in surprise.

"Get dressed," Shikamaru said hurriedly.

"What's going on?" you asked quizzically.

"I'll tell you on the way, just get dressed," Shikamaru rushed you.

Still confused, you did as told. You hurried to your room, pulling your clothes on in record timing. You clasped your weapon belt on your waist, threw on your Chuunin vest, tied your brother's headband around your arm and hurried back to Shikamaru.

"What the hell is going on?" you questioned again as you followed Shikamaru at a run.

"Sasuke's gone," Shikamaru said, side-glancing at you seeming slightly nervous.

"Gone? What do you mean he's gone?"

"Sakura raised the alarm early this morning. Last night, Sasuke left Konoha, headed for the Sound village. Tsunade-sama has sent us to retrieve him as our first mission as Chuunin. She thinks that Orochimaru's subordinates are guiding him," Shikamaru summed up the situation, finally coming to a stop in the middle of the village.

You stopped beside the boy, mouth hanging open. Sasuke was gone? He was really gone?

_"What are you going to do to Sasuke!?"_

_Orochimaru chuckled. "I'm not going to do anything. Sasuke will choose his own path."_

_"He'll never choose you," you whispered fiercely._

_"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, Nakao, though your passion is commendable. Sasuke-kun will-"_

_"Don't call him that!" you shouted, shoulders heaving up and down in anger._

_A sickening grin spread across Orochimaru's face._

Your head bowed so that your chin was touching your chest. You squeezed your eyes shut, clenching your hands into fists. How could he go? How could he just leave like that!? What had you meant-!

"Nakao."

You glanced up to meet Shikamaru's gaze.

"I know this is a personal mission for you, but we don't have a lot of time. We need to gather as many exceptional genin as we can and head after Sasuke," Shikamaru said.

You nodded, trying to push your feelings aside. You were a Chuunin now and you had a job to do. Eyes full of resolve, you looked to Shikamaru. "Right. I know just the people."

"Great. Find as many as you can then meet me at the village gates in half an hour."

"Hai."

* * *

"What!?" Naruto shouted.

You cringed. You stood in Naruto's doorway as he stood a foot away from you. Your news about Sasuke's departure had awoken him and the signs of sleep had left his face. He was still dressed in his pajamas and sleeping cap.

You saw Naruto shake as his teeth clenched together. You tried to keep a calm composure and your face even.

"Wait a minute!" Naruto told you before dashing back inside. He emerged moments later and with direction from you, the two of you took off at a run. You had briefly explained what Shikamaru had told you and your plan.

"Do you have other exceptional genin picked out?" Naruto asked, glancing over at you.

You nodded. "Yes, just one more. Shikamaru will get the rest."

It was only minutes later that you and Naruto came to a stop before a very familiar house; a house as familiar as your own. Running up the door, you pounded your fist against it rapidly. Seconds later, the door slid open and a very sleepy Kiba glanced down at you.

"Nakao?" he asked, rubbing at an eye.

"Kiba," you said hurriedly. "Hurry up and get dressed. We have a mission."

Kiba seemed thoroughly confused but he didn't second-guess you. Instead, he headed back inside. Minutes later, he emerged fully clothes and with Akamaru.

"I'll explain on the way," you told Kiba, turning your back to him and dashing to the village gate. The two boys followed behind you.

* * *

When you arrived at the gates with Naruto and Kiba, it seemed as though Shikamaru had just arrived himself. Beside him stood Chouji and Neji.

"Time's up," Shikamaru looked to you.

You nodded, glancing at the genin you and Shikamaru had gathered. "I guess this is all. Six people."

"Well then, let's go! Everyone, follow me!" Naruto said excitedly, punching a fist into the air.

"Naruto," you put a hand on your hip. "This is mine and Shikamaru's mission. We're in charge here."

Naruto turned to peer at you sourly. "Shikamaru? He doesn't seem very reliable."

You rolled your eyes.

"You should talk. So why are you acting like the boss, Naruto?" Kiba asked with a smirk. Naruto glared.

"Let's get to it," Neji spoke up. "What's our strategy? According to what you said, it is highly probable that our enemies could ambush us."

"Well since this a rescue operation, we'll be in the position of pursuit," Shikamaru said. "Which means the enemy already has an important advantage over us."

"Therefore, we need to be in a formation that can easily respond to an attack. Which means, if one of you decides to disobey orders and screw up the formation, we're probably gunna die," you said, glancing to each genin in turn.

"Alright," Shikamaru looked to you. "We'll go in a single-file strike formation."

"The most important position is the spear-head. Kiba, that's gunna be you," you looked to your friend.

When Kiba's face registered surprise, Shikamaru explained for you. "With all the walks that you and Akamaru go on, you'll be most familiar with the terrain. And with that sensitive nose of yours, you'll be able to track Sasuke's scent while sniffing out any booby-traps the enemy might have set."

"I will take the position behind Kiba. This way, he can relay information to me quickly and I can make a split-minute decision if need be. I can also use hand signals to signal behind me," you explained.

"Behind Nakao will be Naruto," Shikamaru glanced to the boy.

"You're the most capable of executing quick moves from either in front of you or behind you. You're the cornerstone. _And _you have the Shadow Clone Jutsu," you spoke from experience.

Shikamaru continued. "Fourth in line will be Chouji. You don't have much speed but your striking power is the greatest of everyone here. Kiba, Nakao and Naruto will launch a surprise attack, then you'll swoop in an finish them off. You're the second wave of the assault. I will be behind you in case something goes wrong in the back. That way we'll have planners on both ends of the line."

"That's where Neji comes in," you glanced at the boy. "You position is most difficult because you're rear look out. We need you to use your Byuukagan to scan ahead for weakness in our ranks. Everyone got that?"

You and Shikamaru scanned the faces of your squad. They seemed confident in what they were in charge of. Beside you, Shikamaru kneeled to the ground, a scroll in hand. Taking out a pencil, Shikamaru began to draw.

"Take a look at this. This diagram shows what perimeter you are responsible for. Kiba look out from the font. Nakao is responsible for a wider, forward view. Naruto's got the left; Chouji the right. I'll have the wide view of the middle and the back if need be. And Neji will cover the entire area to the rear. I'll also have to check all of your gear to know what tools we can work with. Any questions?"

Naruto shook his head. The others only stared on.

"Since no one has anything to add, I've saved the most important thing for last. For as long as I've known him, Sasuke and I aren't exactly close buddies. In fact, I don't really like him at all. All the same, Sasuke's a ninja belonging to Konoha; he's a comrade and I'll put my life on the line to help him," Shikamaru said, his eyes set intensely on each of you.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see Shikamaru acting like a Chuunin," Kiba said with the slightest smirk.

"Well on the 'Go Sasuke Team' over here…" you said, prompting everyone to look at you. "I know you guys don't care much for Sasuke, but to Naruto and I, he's are friend and our teammate. To us, this mission means everything. I personally thank you for willingly sacrificing your lives."

Silence followed your short speech. Naruto looked to you sadly, perhaps because of the sadness you had accidentally let leak into your voice. You were trying to stay strong and hold it together for the sake of everything this Chuunin vest stood for but on the inside, you were scared.

Scared that you would be too late or that Sasuke wouldn't come back. Scared that he would truly cut his bonds in Konoha and join ranks with Orochimaru. Scared he would forget you.

"Okay," Neji interjected. "As soon as we check our gear, we'll go. Show your weapons."

Each of you grabbed the ninja gear that you commonly used. You and Shikamaru quickly examined everything and nodded to one another.

"Okay, let's move out," Shikamaru ordered with your consent. You all turned your backs, ready to head out of the open village gates.

"Wait!"

You all stopped and turned around. It was Sakura who had called out to you. She stood, solo in front of your groups, arms at her sides and looking miserable.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura, you can't come," you told the kunochi, knowing what she was going to ask. Sakura did not lie under the 'exceptional genin' group and would only be a hindrance. Not to mention her over-emotional state could completely jeopardize the mission.

"I know you tried to stop him, Sakura, but there's nothing else you can do for him," Shikamaru told her. She was watching you and Shikamaru with sad eyes.

"Wait, what? Sasuke turned his back on you!?" Naruto exclaimed.

Tears began to well in Sakura's eyes and she bowed her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. She began to audibly cry, her shoulders shaking. "Naruto…this is a once in a lifetime request, just bring him home. Please bring Sasuke back to me."

The words struck you. 'Back to you?'

Despite the situation, you couldn't help the spark of anger in your chest. Back to her!? Sasuke never even _liked _her.

Naruto slowly looked away from Sakura. He slid a small smile on his face, but you could tell it was forced. "Wow…you must really care about Sasuke huh? You must be in pain right now."

'Oh Naruto…'

Your eyes softened. Why was Sakura constantly throwing her feelings for Sasuke in Naruto's face? When she clearly knew how Naruto felt about her? You were just as upset that Sasuke was gone, but you held it together. You _had _to hold it together. You glanced back to Sakura as the tears ran down her face, dropping to the ground.

_"I __**know**__ you like Sasuke, Nakao," Sakura glared at you._

_You had just come inside from lunch. You were still trying to deal with the fact that you were just stuck on the worst team ever less than an hour ago. You were about to head back to the classroom to meet your jounin instructor, but you decided to use the bathroom._

_You had just turned on the faucet to wash your hands when the bathroom door had swung open. Sakura walked in, standing towards the back of the bathroom, but you could see her glaring at you in the mirror. Had she stalked you here? What was her problem?_

_You sighed, shutting off the water and shaking your hands. "How many times do I have to tell you, Sakura? You can have him."_

_"You can't fool me, Nakao. It's __**so **__obvious."_

_"What are you talking about?" you turned to face the girl. You were thoroughly confused._

_Sakura smirked. She raised her nose up at you. "You are clearly trying to get him to notice you, but he'll never go for a girl like you."_

_"…What?"_

_"Your hair, Nakao," Sakura planted her hands on her hips. "Why do you have long hair? Huh? Because you heard that Sasuke likes long hair?"_

_You couldn't believe you were standing here listening to this insanity. "No, that's why __**you **__have long hair. If you'll recall, I had long hair way before the rest of you."_

_"Because you heard-"_

_"__**I'm **__the one who told Ino that Sasuke likes long hair!" you finally yelled, throwing your hands up in the air in exasperation._

_This stopped Sakura. Her face went completely blank. "What?"_

_"Yeah,__** I**__ told Ino that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. It got out and that's how __**you **__know about it," you glared. "Now, stop following me into the bathroom unless you adore the tile so much you don't mind it being your grave."_

_With that, you stalked past Sakura. She was shocked, standing there stiffly. You made sure to smash your shoulder into hers as you walked past her and to the classroom to meet your new sensei._

"Don't worry one bit; I'm gunna bring Sasuke back!" Naruto assured Sakura, grinning as he gave her a thumbs-up. He glanced to you. "Right, Nakao?"

A small smile slowly slipped on your lips. You nodded. "Right."

"I promise on my life," Naruto turned his smile back to Sakura. She only continued to cry.

"Woah, hold up there, Naruto," Kiba smirked, walking up between you and Naruto. "That's quite a statement. Are you sure you should be promising her that?"

"Sure! When I give my word, you can count on it!" Naruto grinned, poking his thumb into his chest. He then punched his fist in the air. "What are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

"This interruption cost us some time," you said purposely, shooting a glare in Sakura's direction. "Let's get going."

"Right!" Naruto agreed.

The six of you walked outside of the village gates, taking your places in your line. You and Shikamaru each held a hand up, then motioned it forward. On command, the six of you jumped up into the trees and picked up the pace. You rushed through the trees, using small amounts of chakra to boost your speed.

You didn't know how long you'd been traveling, trying not to get wrapped up in your thoughts, when you heard a soft whimper. It was Akamaru, whose head was poking out from beneath Kiba's jacket.

"Akamaru?" Kiba asked, looking down at his furry friend.

"What is it?" you asked Kiba.

Kiba lightly glanced over his shoulder at you. "He smells blood…somewhere near by."

You couldn't help but feel a spark of fear in your chest.

"Here's what happened," Kiba explained as he and Akamaru sniffed the area. "The scent of two newcomers converged on the scent of Sasuke and four others. The two have stayed behind while Sasuke's group has moved on. So what now?"

"It's just as we feared," you clenched your teeth together. "Sasuke's got an escort. Four escorts by the sound of what happened."

"There's no question! We've got to go after Sasuke!" Naruto piped up from behind you.

"Who died and made you boss?" Kiba glared over his shoulder. "Last time I checked, Nakao and Shikamaru were the ones running the show."

"Well from the sounds of it, there was a battle between Sasuke's group and the two newcomers," you said before Shikamaru could talk. If we go to the spot where they fought, we might be able to find out something."

"But Nakao!" Naruto complained.

"Enough Naruto, she's right," Shikamaru said. "But we can't just rush in; it might be a trap. We'll have to take it slowly."

"And while we're doing that, Sasuke will have crossed over the border of the Land of Fire and out of our hands," you said, knowing this is the option you wanted to choose. It was nice having Shikamaru co-lead with you; it made sure that you weren't leading this mission in the wrong direction because of your personal attachments.

"We'll what's it gunna be!?" Naruto asked, glancing at Shikamaru before staring at your back.

You waited for Shikamaru to answer. You knew what your answer was.

Finally, Shikamaru spoke up. "We follow Sasuke."

"Alright! I knew you'd make the right decision!" Naruto grinned.

"One thing…" Shikamaru pointedly stared at Naruto.

"What?"

"These guys have already been in one fight so they'll be on their guard. Unless they're complete idiots, they'll have to know there's gunna be more ninja on their trail."

"That means there's a good chance we'll run into traps or an ambush soon," you frowned. "From this point on, we proceed with caution. That includes you, Naruto. No rash decisions. Stick to the orders."

"Everyone tune into your senses. I want everyone, not just Akamaru, to sense traps. If you catch a feeling of anything suspicious, sound the alarm. We want to find these guys before they find us," Shikamaru said.

"Got it! And when we **do** find them, I'm gunna clobber 'em!" Naruto grinned cockily. "I've got a new jutsu to use on them!"

"Remember what I said about being rash, Naruto," you warned.

"The enemy's scent is here, all around us!" Kiba suddenly announced.

"Everyone stop!" you and Shikamaru yelled.

The six of you came to a stop on a thick tree branch, kneeling.

"Up in that tree, you see that?" Shikamaru led your gazes upward.

"A paper bomb," you mused, spotting the paper on the tree above you and just in front of you. "There's probably more of them-a perimeter barrier probably."

"A perimeter barrier?" Chouji echoed.

"It's a type of trap ninjutsu," Shikamaru explained. "There's a delay after the perimeter is breeched, giving the victim just enough time to get to the center of the area before the full effect-an explosion. It's a tricky jutsu; I learned about it in one of those books my dad used to make me read."

"Yeah," you nodded. "Keitaro told me about them. You have to be specialized in that type of ninjutsu in order to pull it off effectively."

"Now we have to waste time going around it, great," Kiba scoffed.

* * *

You really hated these ninja. Not only did you have to waste time by going around the perimeter, the ninja had rigged the surrounding area with traps. Wires were strung just above the ground, threatening to trip anyone who was not careful. For this reason, your whole team was going at a painfully slow, cautious place.

"This whole place is rigged with booby-traps," Kiba complained.

"Yeah but luckily they're easy to spot," Shikamaru said several positions behind you. "These guys are moving fast and getting sloppy."

"Let's hope," you muttered bitterly.

"What do you mean, Nakao?" Naruto asked.

You glanced over your shoulder at him. "This in itself could be a trap. Maybe these traps are _too _easy to spot…I hope Shikamaru's right."

"Naruto, do me a favor and watch where you're going. I don't want you blowing us all up," Kiba suddenly said from up front. "There's trip wires everywhere."

"Tell me something I don't know," Naruto said, aggravated. Naruto raised a foot, stepping over a wire. From Shikamaru's position, the sun hit just right, illuminating another wire just in front of the one Naruto had just stepped over.

"Naruto! Hold it!" Shikamaru shouted, prompting you and Kiba to stop and turn around to see what was going on.

You gasped. There was no way Naruto could catch himself. That's when Shikamaru activated his kekki genki and was able to control Naruto's body and keep him from touching the wire. You gave a sigh of relief.

"Didn't I tell you to watch your step you moron!?" Kiba yelled.

You crouched down, examining the wires. "Huh…so one of the wires is easy to see and catches the sun. The other one is camouflaged and hard to see. See? This is what I meant by the whole 'too easy' thing."

"They've created a trap within a trap," Neji mused. "They're clever; whoever they are."

"Agreed," you sighed, getting to your feet.

"All their other traps were quick and dirty as though they were moving fast. But not this one," Shikamaru said.

"They may have stopped to rest," Neji suggested, trying to explain the trap. "Perhaps one of them is injured. Or is this part of the trap?"

Neji put his fingers into handsigns and activated his Byuukagan. The veins around his eyes popped out against his skin as his eyes scanned the area.

"I see them," Neji reported, his eyes narrowed.

"Really?" you asked excitedly.

"Well let's go!" Naruto brought a fist up. "I'm dying to show these guys what I've got!"

"Heh, is that right? I hate to disappoint you hotshot, but I've got a new jutsu I've been working on too," Kiba smirked.

"Yeah, me too," Chouji piped up.

"Alright, calm down. First we make a plan and get everything ready," Shikamaru interjected. "Then we go in and take them out."

* * *

"That's it. Now Kiba, the timing of the smoke bombs is absolutely crucial, got it?" you glanced to your friend. You and Shikamaru had just finished explaining your plan. You were all crouching, for Shikamaru was illustrating the plans on the dirt.

"I've got it."

"So, split up. Let's go," Shikamaru glanced to each of you in turn. You all nodded and got to your feet.

The six of you headed in your separate directions. The plan was to surround the clearing the ninjas were resting in. Shikamaru had gone with Neji because of his Byuukagan. You and Naruto had been ordered to be ready for a stealthy ambush.

You crouched behind a bush, peering into the clearing. The ninjas were a good ten feet away. There were four of them, each looking very different. There was a fat, tall one, one with long, magenta-colored hair, one with eight arms, and one with two heads, back to back. Your eyebrows crinkled together. You had never seen anything like it. All the ninjas were sitting on the ground beside the magenta-haired ninja. They were sitting atop of a coffin that resembled a large barrel.

You searched the clearing carefully. 'Where's Sasuke?'

Your eyes fell on the coffin. Was he in there? Panic struck your heart. He couldn't be dead, could he? No, that would make no sense. What would be the point then?

Just then, the two-headed ninja whipped around, throwing three kunais straight towards you. Your eyes widened and you ducked. The kunais sailed past you and planted themselves into the tree trunk behind you. You looked behind you to see that paper bombs were attached.

'Shit!' you jumped away just as the bombs exploded. You gritted your teeth together. So they knew you were here. As the bombs exploded, they cast a blinding, white light completely around you. You threw an arm in front of your eyes to shield them.

The blast was too powerful, however, and the force of the blast flung you. Faint shouts to your left told you the blast must have caught Shikamaru and Neji. You hadn't realized they'd gotten so close to you.

You cried out as you hit the ground, rolling to a stop. You quickly got to your knees, glancing to your left as Shikamaru and Neji both came flying to the ground beside you.

"Well well, I thought I was flushing a snake out of the bushes but it turns out it was just mice," the two-headed ninja said cockily.

The tall, fat ninja took a menacing step forward. Shikamaru quickly jumped to his feet, holding his hands up in surrender. "Now wait a second, calm down. We're here to negotiate, not to fight. Can't we talk this over like reasonable people?"

You snorted, getting to your feet. "They work for Orochimaru, Shikamaru. There's nothing reasonable about them."

You knew they were never going to fall for negotiating. What was Shikamaru thinking? Just buying time you guessed, waiting for the rest of your plan to carry out. But that did mean you had to waste time pandering to them.

"Hmph, let's not forget your friends shall we," the eight-armed ninja smirked. From his finger, he flung what appeared to be spider webs out into the forestry. Three shouts reached your ears first and then Kiba, Chouji and Naruto were flung down beside you.

Kiba smirked. Before hitting the ground, he twisted in the air, flinging the smoke bombs between your group and the Sound group.

"What good is that going to do? Throw all the smoke bombs you want; I've still got you," the ninja smirked. He twitched his fingers. "These threads are so fine they're almost invisible, but they're stronger than they look."

Your eyes narrowed. 'Those are the wires from the forest.'

The smoke dissipated to reveal Kiba and Chouji kneeling on the rocky ground. Naruto was between them, sitting on his behind.

"Dammit!" Naruto called out.

"So you're the one that set the trap huh? Very clever. You must be the smart one of the group," Shikamaru addressed the eight-armed ninja.

"And you're about to be the dead one," he smirked in response, moving to use his threads, but quickly finding that he couldn't. "What the-!?"

While Kiba had distracted the group with his smoke bomb, Shikamaru had been able to link his shadow to each of the Sound members.

"You're not the only ones who can spring a trap," Shikamaru smirked. "Thanks for making me look good in front of the squad. I appreciate it."

"Very impressive," the two-headed ninja smirked, turning his head. That's when you noticed his other head was gone.

You were quickly on alert, your hands hovering over your daggers.

"I'd be even more impressed if I hadn't mastered that technique as well," the ninja continued.

Suddenly, from behind Shikamaru, several shuriken came whizzing out from the forestry.

Shikamaru whirled around and put his arms up to guard his face. The weapons sliced at his skin. "What was that!?"

Due to Shikamaru's distraction, his jutsu ended and the Sound ninja were free once again.

"Earth-style barrier," the fat ninja said immediately after being released. He kneeled on the ground and slammed his palms against the earth. "Earth Dome Prison!"

You gritted your teeth together as the earth began to grow rocks and a trail ran from the ninja's hands and surrounded your group. Chouji cried out in anticipation as the rock built itself up, quickly encasing you in a rock dome.

"Oh fuck…" you muttered as your group was encased in darkness. Your eyes slow adjusted and you were able to dimly make out your teammates.

"Terrific," Shikamaru scowled sarcastically.

"What is this?" Neji wondered.

"It's a barrier of some kind and we're stuck in it," Shikamaru gritted his teeth together.

"Now what?" Kiba scowled.

"Hey, you up there! Let us out right now!" Naruto yelled, slamming a fist against the rock wall.

"Yeah, like _that's _gunna help," Kiba said sarcastically, looking over his shoulder to your teammate. He was kneeling on the dirt ground, searching the rocks for any sort of weak point.

"It seems to be nothing more than a dirt wall," Neji mused, walking up beside Kiba and placing his hand on the wall.

"It's some sort of jutsu. We need to watch our step. It could be some type of trap within a trap," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah these guys seem to be quite enamored with that tactic," you said bitterly, carefully running your hand over the wall.

"Hmph. A wall's a wall and there's no wall I can't punch a hole through," Kiba declared, getting to his feet

"It's worth a try I guess," Shikamaru said.

"Just be careful," you added.

Kiba summoned forth his chakra and jumped in the air. Spinning rapidly, he threw himself like a human twister at the rock wall. He slammed into the wall, spewing dust and rock everywhere. When the dust settled, Kiba had made a large dent in the wall, but no hole. Kiba dropped to the ground at a crouch, staring up at the dent. A moment later, the dent began to disappear as new rock filled in the dent.

"The wall's rebuilding itself," you gritted your teeth together.

"Let us out!" Naruto screamed in frustration.

"It appears to be more than just dirt," Neji commented.

"Can you see through it, Neji?" you asked, glancing over your shoulder to the boy.

Neji glanced at you then activated his Byuukagan. He let out a sound of shock. "Th-The wall is-!"

"It's what? The walls are what?" Shikamaru asked impatiently. You could tell he was growing nervous.

Neji held his hands out, watching them as they shook gently. "Our chakra, he's absorbing it like a sponge."

"Shit!" you called out in frustration.

"It's not enough they buried us alive but now they're trying to steal our chakra! Gotta give these guys credit for thoroughness," Kiba commented.

Naruto's shoulders shook and he turned to look at your group. "No way! No way can they do this to us! Whoever you are, let us out of here right now!"

"Naruto calm down," you scolded.

As you all glared up angrily at the rock encasing you, the moments ticked by. As they did, you could feel yourself get weaker and weaker. Slowly, each of you began to sink to the ground, having no energy to keep yourself from standing. Your legs wobbled and you finally collapsed on both of your knees beside a kneeling Kiba.

"I feel like all my energy is draining," Naruto said tiredly, leaning his back against the wall, his head bowed.

Neji, the only one left standing, activated his Byuukagan to look at the remaining chakra you each hand. He glanced to Shikamaru. "Something must be done, Shikamaru, and quickly."

"That does it! Stand back guys; I'm gunna bust out of here before my chakra's all gone," Kiba finally said.

"How are you going to do that?" you asked, glancing over at him.

Kiba took out two food pills, feeding one to Akamaru and himself. Akamaru's fur turned rust a color and he roared like a lion. Akamaru used the Human Mimicry jutsu and turned into a clone of Kiba.

"Fang over fang!" Kiba shouted.

The two became like twisters and bounced around the dome into the walls.

"Atta boy Kiba, go for it!" Naruto cheered.

You all watched in silence for several minutes before Kiba and Akamaru finally came down. Akamaru turned back into his dog form the second he touched the ground and flopped on his belly exhausted. Kiba kneeled, looking at the damage he had done for the walls. But to your despair, you watched as the walls began to repair themselves like before.

Kiba, breathing heavily, glanced to you and your teammates. "I give us ten more minutes of this before our chakra is completely drained."

You looked to your friend with dread in your heart before glancing around yourself. Would these rock walls become your tomb? You glanced upwards to see that some of the dents Kiba made were still filling in.

"Hey, you out there!" Shikamaru suddenly shouted, dragging your attention to him. "Let me talk to your leader! I have a deal to propose. What I'm thinking, is you let us out of this thing and in return, we let you keep Sasuke."

From beside you, Kiba's mouth dropped open. Your lips set in a firm line as you watched Shikamaru. What was he doing? There must be some kind of plan behind this.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"No deal," you heard your enemy say. His voice sounded mocking. "I've never let a captive go before; I'm not about to stop now."

"Oh come on, listen, how about you just let me go and keep the others? All this fighting, I'm tired of it-it's really not my thing," Shikamaru continued.

"You little-If you're selling us out, I'm gunna ring your neck!" Kiba shouted to Shikamaru's back.

You put a hand on Kiba's arm. It seemed to immediately calm him and he glanced over to you in question. You simply shook your head and held a finger to your lips, signaling him to be quiet.

"Shut up Kiba," Shikamaru said, nothing turning to look at him. "For once in your life."

"What did you say!?" Kiba jumped to his feet.

"Kiba," you hissed fiercely, also getting to your feet. You grabbed hold of Kiba's jacket sleeve. You didn't want him to do something stupid.

You suddenly heard laughter coming from outside of the dome. His voice seemed just slightly muffled by the rock. "So much for teamwork. So you're really the leader huh? What a fine example you're setting for the rest of your team. You see a man's character when he's pushed to the edge of death. But you're not a man at all; certainly not one who's worthy to lead a team of ninja into battle."

You glanced about yourself as the ninja talked before glancing to Shikamaru's back. He was no on his feet. 'What's his plan?'

The ninja outside continued. "Sacrificing Sasuke and the rest of your squad, ha! So that's how a Leaf Chuunin acts? Did you really believe I might let you out? You deserve to die."

"That does it, Shikamaru! You dirty little traitor! Let's take this outside; just you and me!" Naruto shouted.

"What do you mean 'take this outside'? How are you gunna do that, you idiot? We're trapped in here," Kiba glanced over to Naruto, who stood beside him.

Naruto let out an aggravated cry, turning to Kiba. "What did you call me!?"

"I called you an idiot, idiot!" Kiba yelled, grabbing Naruto by his jacket and pulling his face close to his.

"That's what I thought you said!" Naruto yelled back, head locking Kiba.

"Both of you, knock it off!" you yelled as the boys struggled against one another.

Both boys turned to glance at you in surprise but quieted down. You sighed, running a hand over your face. Three feet away from you, Shikamaru crouched, putting his hands together so that the fingertips of each hand touched one another. He closed his eyes.

"What's Shikamaru doing?" Naruto asked, glancing over and seeing Shikamaru. "Meditating? He's just squatting there."

From behind you, Chouji grabbed a bag of chips from inside of his green jacket. Naruto and Kiba turned as they heard Chouji open the bag and begin shoving chips in his mouth.

"You've got to be kidding me! Is that all you ever think about!?" Naruto yelled at Chouji.

"That's Chouji for you; responds to a crisis by stuffing his face. He's a real big help," Kiba said sarcastically.

"Why am I friends with you two?" you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose and prompting Kiba and Naruto to look over at you.

Chouji's clan used calories to fuel chakra. Just like Kiba's food pills, eating restores a bit of Chouji's chakra. But before you could inform your friends of this, Naruto opened his big mouth.

"Forget this, I'm gunna give shadow clones a try!"

"Don't bother," Neji spoke up. "That ninja has infused this wall with chakra so that it repairs itself. Your shadow clones won't work; you'll only deplete your own chakra. The fact is, multiple attacks won't work."

"Our only hope is taijutsu strong enough to destroy it," you finished, arms crossed over your chest.

"Well Chouji has taijutsu; a knock-out punch even stronger than mine," Kiba said, pivoting to look at Chouji who was still eating his chips. "But just look at him; he's got other things on his mind."

"Come on! What are we gunna do, just stand here!?" Naruto asked aggravated as everyone stared at Chouji.

"Neji, I need you to focus those eyes of yours on the wall directly behind you and directly behind Chouji. Do you think you have enough chakra left for that?" Shikamaru suddenly spoke up, prompting all of you to turn and stare at him.

"I think so," Neji replied.

"Hold on! You're not gunna listen to him!?" Naruto glared at Shikamaru.

"Naruto!" you scolded, shooting a glare his way. "You have to trust Shikamaru. He wouldn't throw you to the dogs any more than I would."

"Kiba, are you up for putting another dent in the wall behind Chouji?" Shikamaru continued, getting to his feet.

"Sure, I guess," Kiba smirked and clapped his hands together for his necessary handsign. "I don't know what's going on but I'm always up for getting wild."

Kiba jumped into the air, rapidly turning like a human twister once more. He slammed into the wall as directed, forming several dents before coming back to the ground. He crouched, panting. Neji activated his Byuukagan and examined the dents. You followed his eyes before he finally set eyes one specific dent.

"That one," Neji said.

"Okay then, mark the spot with a kunai, will you? Chouji, are you ready buddy?" Shikamaru directed.

Chouji smirked. "I was born ready."

"Good, then let's get started," Shikamaru smirked himself.

"Wait, let's get what started?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, you're hopeless," you sighed, glancing to the boy. "The chakra infused in the wall is weaker in some points than in others. That's why some of the dents filled in faster than others. Shikamaru noticed this. When he was speaking to our captor, he was tricking him into giving away his position. Simple laws of physics say that the chakra is going to weaker at the area across from him."

Shikamaru smirked and nodded to his teammate. "It's up to you, Chouji."

"Okay!" Chouji put his fingers together in a handsign.

Chouji's body inflated like a large balloon. His legs, arms and head tucked in like a turtle would into his shell. Chouji began to rapidly spin and then sent himself flying at the designated point. You and your group stood, watching intensely as Chouji attempted to break through the rock.

Finally, the rock busted apart and a large, gaping hole appeared. You cheered and you all quickly took off, running out of the barrier. As you all turned to face the dome, it fell and crumbled to the ground. Now standing before you, with only the large pile of crumbled rock between you, stood your enemy. But it was just the one ninja. The other three, and Sasuke, were gone!

"Chouji, that was awesome," Shikamaru smirked.

Chouji chuckled to himself.

"He's by himself," you pointed out. "The others must have gone ahead."

That wasn't good. Now Sasuke was even further away from you.

The enemy ninja slowly began to clap. "Not a bad bit of handiwork, you guys…for a bunch of loser."

"What!?" Naruto shouted.

"Who are you calling losers!?" Kiba shouted afterwards.

The two hotheads of the team sprinted towards the enemy. Your eyes widened and you gave a cry of annoyance.

"Now that we're out, you're toast, pal!" Kiba told your enemy.

"Out of the way, he's mine!" Naruto told Kiba as they ran side by side.

"Kiba, Naruto, stop!" you yelled.

The boys did so, coming to such an abrupt stop you were surprised they didn't fall over. They pivoted to look at you quizzically.

"There's no way we can take him on head on," you said. He had just absorbed the chakra of each of your team members. This guy was probably at max capacity and you weren't.

"We just broke through this guy's barrier. How tough could he be?" Kiba asked cockily.

Kiba put his hands together and activated his jutsu again. He spun straight for the ninja, who wasn't fazed at all. He simply pulled back a fist and managed to hit Kiba square in the face. He came flying back at your feet.

You fell to your knees beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You idiot, I told you to stop!"

Naruto didn't listen from beside you and also took off at the brute. He activated his shadow clones and they flew towards him. The ninja punched and head-butted the real Naruto and his two clones. The clones disappeared and Naruto flew, smacking into a nearby tree trunk.

"I'm gunna eat you guys for lunch!" the ninja declared.

"Try it," Kiba dared after waving you off and getting to his feet.

The ninja rushed forward, slamming his shoulder into Kiba's chest. As Kiba fell to the ground, Naruto came up behind the ninja, aiming a punch for his head. The ninja pivoted, kneeing Naruto in the abdomen. Naruto also fell to the ground.

"You wouldn't even do as an appetizer," the ninja mocked.

The ninja put his hands in a handseal and he crouched, slamming his hand on the ground. He was preforming the same jutsu as before. As he got the jutsu out, Chouji stood in front of your group, once again inflating himself. His body spun, stopping the rock wall from forming and kicking up debris. It was enough for your group to escape into the woods.

Your group hid behind some brush, a good twenty feet from the enemy. You sat in a circle, looking at one another.

"We're running out of time," you said quietly, staring down at your lap.

'Sasuke…'

"Nakao…" Naruto glanced over to you, watching you sadly. He must have detected the sadness in your statement. You refused to meet his gaze.

"Nakao's right," Shikamaru glanced at you. "I think it's time to split up."

"What would be the point in that?" Naruto asked.

"He's right," Neji said. "With our chakra depleted, even with the five of us, he's not going to be easy to take out."

"And with every second that passes, Sasuke gets closer to the border," you said, finally looking up. "Once he crosses it, there'll be nothing we can do. We should split into two groups: one to go after Sasuke and one to stay here and fight our friend out there."

Shikamaru nodded. "Nakao will head the team going after Sasuke. Kiba and Neji, you go with Nakao. Naruto and Chouji will stay with me and we'll take care of this guy."

Just as your team agreed, the earth beneath your feet began to shake. You gasped as the rock began to break apart and trees began to fall over. You jumped into the air, avoiding one. The enemy ninja had cleared out the entire area around him. You landed back down on the earth.

The ninja smirked as he looked over at your team, now standing amidst fallen trees. "So there you are."

"Are you guys ready?" Shikamaru asked. He kneeled, activating his kekki genki.

"I've already seen your parlor trick. Once was enough," the enemy ninja said.

"That's funny; I recall you falling for that parlor trick," Shikamaru responded without missing a beat.

Shikamaru stretched his shadow out towards your foe. Before it reached him, it dipped into a hole he had made in the ground and the shadow came out behind the ninja. Just before it was about to catch his feet, he slammed a hand on the ground, breaking apart the earth around him.

As the debris settled, the area was empty.

"He's disappeared," Neji said.

Kiba sniffed the air before looking over his shoulder. "He's behind us!"

You all looked behind you to see the ninja raising a huge chunk of earth above his head. This huge chunk was at least a hundred yards wide and at least half as thick.

"You've got to be kidding me!" your mouth fell.

With a mighty heave, the ninja chucked the deadly earth at your team. You all scattered, jumping away to avoid the rock. It hit the ground, rolling a little before coming to a stop. You all jumped back down to the ground; only to find that your foe had once again disappeared.

"Heads up, you guys! There's another one coming," Shikamaru warned.

Just as the words left his lips, a hand broke through the surface of the ground, grabbing ahold of Shikamaru's ankle. Shikamaru cried out as your foe jumped out of the earth and swung Shikamaru upside down, holding him by both his ankles.

"You're in charge of this ragtag bunch, am I right? When you've got an idiot for a leader the whole team suffers. Know what I mean? You don't want to follow a guy like this; let me get rid of him for you!" your foe began to swing Shikamaru around like a lasso before letting him fly.

"Shikamaru!" you called out.

Chouji rushed over, inflating his body just before Shikamaru smashed into a tree. He, instead, bounced off of Chouji's body and landed harmlessly on the ground.

"Oh, I try to help you guys out and look what you do! I don't know which is more pathetic, the fool or those who follow him. Tell you what; if you don't want to keep working under this glum-faced shadow-lover, I'll just kill you now and put you out of your misery."

"It's time to shut your big mouth or I'll shut it for you!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto!" Chouji called out, grabbing everyone's attention. "This guy is mine."

"Chouji! You take this guy on all by yourself," you protested.

"He's mine I said!" Chouji glared past you and to your enemy.

You frowned but said nothing more. Chouji reached into the pouch around his waist and pulled out a brown sack tied at the top. "Shikamaru, take these food pills for everyone."

"Chouji…you're not gunna-?" Shikamaru asked, surprised.

"Uh huh, don't worry, I've got my secret weapon with me," Chouji assured, handing the sack to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru took the sack. "Yeah, but Chouji this is-"

But Chouji was having none of it. He walked past Shikamaru, standing before your enemy.

The ninja smirked. "Oh this is priceless."

The ninja, with incredible speed for his size, took off at a sprint towards your group.

Chouji slid in front of you. "Hurry up, get going!"

Chouji reached into his pouch again, pulling out a little, glass container of pills. There were three inside, a green, yellow and red pill. Chouji popped the green one in his mouth. As the enemy ninja moved to punch Chouji out of the way, Chouji stood his grand, throwing his fist into the ninja's abdomen. The two struggled against one another.

'Wow! What did he eat that gave him that kind of strength?' you wondered, mouth open slightly.

"Shikamaru, take everyone and get out of here!" Chouji called out, his head on the ninja's shoulder.

"Chouji…"

"If we lose Sasuke, we'll be just what this guy says we are: a stupid, idiot leader and his band of rejects!"

"You'd better catch up with us, Chouji. Ya hear?" Shikamaru said.

"Yeah! Now go already!"

You nodded, glancing to everyone in your group. "He's right. Let's get going guys."

"Right!"

Everyone, excluding Chouji, jumped into the trees and continued the journey to find Sasuke.

"A parting gift from Chouji, eat up," Shikamaru said, throwing the bag of food pills to Naruto as you guys sped away from Chouji. You had reformed your original line, minus Chouji.

Naruto grabbed a pill, eating one and passed the sack to Kiba, who fed a pill to Akamaru and then himself.

"Nakao," Kiba threw you the sack. You took a food pill, swallowing it before throwing the sack behind you and back to Shikamaru.

As the rest of the group began to discuss Chouji's possibility of winning, you got lost in your own thoughts.

'Sasuke…we're coming for you. But will you come with us?'

Akamaru's bark yanked you out of your thoughts. You glanced to Kiba's back.

"They're close," Kiba informed you.

In the rear, Neji used his Byuukagan. "That's strange. I haven't seen a single trap. Shikamaru, what do you think about this?"

"They're underestimating us!" you glared forward at nothing in particular.

"The only person they think is catching up to them is that big guy. They wouldn't set traps for their comrade," Shikamaru reiterated.

"Taking us lightly, huh!?" Naruto imputed.

"You're right," Neji replied. "This is our chance."

"Right," you nodded, glancing over your shoulder. "Shikamaru, start planning. The element of surprise is back on our side."

* * *

Shikamaru's plan was to turn into the fat teammate of the Sound team. His ultimate goal was to get Sasuke and escape without a fight, but you and your other group members trailed behind in the likelihood that this would not be the case.

You stationed your teammates apart from one another. You stood beside Naruto on a tree branch. Peering over, you noticed that the eight-armed ninja was fighting Shikamaru, who was still in a different form. The other two sound ninjas had taken Sasuke and were fleeing.

"Shit!" you cursed, glancing at Naruto. "Naruto, prepare for stand-by."

While Naruto nodded, you peered around the tree again. Shikamaru poofed into his original form and aimed a kick at the enemy's face. He blocked it using one of his many hands. While he had Shikamaru occupied, you saw his cheeks move like he was swishing mouthwash. You cried out in surprise as he shot _webbing _from his mouth. It caught Shikamaru and pinned him to a tree.

"Naruto, go!" you ordered.

Naruto created his shadow clones and sent them flying at your enemy. The real Naruto stayed with you, unknown to everyone else. The ninja spit a wad of his web into his hands and kneaded it. As the clones got closer, he threw the wad and it expanded, becoming a giant spider web. It encased the clones as the webs stuck onto two trees, creating a sort of hammock.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted.

Across the way, you caught a glimpse of gray jacket. It was Kiba, peering from behind his tree for direction. You gave him the proper hand motion and he set to work. He and Akamaru activated their trademark jutsu, their 'fang over fang' and like two human torpedoes, they sped at the ninja.

The ninja was in the air and it should have been difficult for Kiba's attack to miss. However, the ninja twitched his fingers which were attached to webbing secured high up in the trees. You hadn't seen it before. He pulled himself up and Kiba and Akamaru missed. They landed on a tree branch instead.

"I won't let you get away!" Kiba yelled.

"That's my line," the ninja said cockily. "Look at your feet."

Looking closer, you noticed that the tree branch was strewn with webbing. Kiba tried to move his feet but they were stuck to the tree branch like adhesive. From above, Neji dropped down, aiming an attack for the ninja, but your foe was quick. He made more webbing, shooting it at Neji. Neji got caught in the webbing, twisting and pulling but the webbing wrapped around his arms and legs mercilessly.

"I'll make a cocoon around you here," the ninja smirked and did just that, completely wrapping Neji in a cocoon.

"Shit," you turned to Naruto. "If you see and opportunity to attack; do it."

"R-Right," Naruto nodded.

You sprang out from behind your trees, whipping out handsigns. You did not go unnoticed for long and your foe whipped around to see you. He immediately spit a wad of webbing into his hands, getting red to make another web. Before he could do so, you activated your fireball jutsu.

As the ninja through his web at you, you pinched your thumb and index finger together, took in a deep breath and blew out. Streams of fire jutted from your lips and latched onto the web. You cut off the jutsu, expecting to see the web completely nonexistent. This was not the case.

To your surprise, the web was still intact, but it looked as if it had melted. Your eyebrows crinkled together in confusion. This webbing really was strong, just as the ninja had said earlier. You gasped as the webbing fell down at you. You tried to jump out of the way, but you had failed to realize the near-invisible webbing stuck on your tree branch.

The webbing from above fell on you. You cried out as you fell to your knees end the melted webbing practically taped you to the branch.

The ninja laughed as you struggled against your bindings. "Not even fire can destroy my webs. They're invincible."

You glared up at the ninja, still struggling. Before you could calculate your next move, you heard a cry from above you. Naruto had left his position and with a fist pulled back, was flying towards your enemy. Your enemy turned just in time to block Naruto's punch with two of his arms. The two struggled against one another and your foe pushed Naruto off.

The enemy ninja back flipped and shot out a string of web, catching Naruto by the wrist. Naruto landed on a tree branch, glaring.

"You're pretty good," the ninja commented. "But if you're out of ideas, it's time to die!"

The ninja pulled on the web, drawing Naruto towards him. Naruto gave a shout. From above, a moving object caught your eye. Neji had broken free of the cocoon and was flying down towards Naruto. He sliced his hand through the web, breaking it. He then grabbed Naruto around the waist and, together, they flew down, landing on your branch.

"Thanks for buying me time, Naruto," Neji said as he quickly freed you.

You hopped to your feet. "How did you break free?"

"That which is made by chakra, can be destroyed by chakra," Neji said, glancing over his shoulder at the ninja.

Shikamaru and Kiba suddenly landed on your branch. Neji must have freed them when you weren't paying attention.

"His technique…only I can deal with him," Neji stated. "Go. I'll fight him."

Akamaru whimpered and jumped into Kiba's jacket, poking his head out of the top. Kiba glanced down to his puppy and then up to Neji. "Looks like this guy's stronger than the fatass. By a lot."

You knew that Akamaru had the ability to sense chakra level with his nose.

"You calculated that we have to fight one on one in order to move on," Neji kept his eyes on the enemy. "You said that, right?"

"Yeah…" Shikamaru confirmed.

"Besides, if we stop here, we can't catch up to Sasuke. Hurry up and go. I'll catch up later," Neji assured.

"Okay, let's go," you nodded.

"You'd better catch up with Chouji," Kiba told Neji.

"Right," Neji said, but you didn't think he sounded all that convincing.

"Good luck," you nodded to Neji before turning your back on him and leaping away. Your teammates followed.

There were just four of you now. Kiba, you and Naruto still led the way, but of the back three, only Shikamaru remained.

The longer this mission dragged on, the further Sasuke was from you and the more teammates you would lose. There were two sound ninjas left. Would you have to fight them one on one too? Who would do it? _Could _anyone do it? Were Chouji and Neji even still alive?

The sun was beginning to set now, casting a red glow on everything its rays touched.

Kiba and Akamaru sniffed the air. "They're close."

"Two enemies left," Shikamaru said from the back. "Two of them and four of us. If things go well, we might be able to finish this mission with one last encounter."

You frowned but said nothing and kept your attention focused forward. 'I wouldn't hold your breath, Shikamaru…'

"Alright, alright! We got this!" Naruto grinned, ever the optimist.

"It's five on two," Kiba corrected Shikamaru. Akamaru barked.

"Oh yeah, five on two," Shikamaru smirked.

"We'll use our new move and end this quickly," Kiba smirked, glancing down at Akamaru.

"What new move?" you asked curiously.

"You'll see," Kiba grinned cockily.

"Hey hey! How about I use my shadow clones? Everything will go fine then," Naruto piped up.

"That's _such _a great plan," Shikamaru responded sarcastically. "But let's go with my plan first, shall we?"

"Sure," Naruto allowed grumpily.

"In order to do that we have to catch up with them before the sun sets," you reminded your friends.

"Then let's speed this up!" Kiba grinned before doing just that. You, Naruto and Shikamaru quickly followed suit.

* * *

Evening fell. The sun set below the horizon and the world around you dimmed to blue. The temperature slowly began to drop.

"Dammit, we didn't catch up to them!" Kiba cursed.

"No, this is fine," Shikamaru assured. "We will keep this distance and continue the pursuit."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"It just means we're going to postpone the attack until the sun rises," Shikamaru explained.

"You don't think they'll reach the border by then?" you glanced over your shoulder to Shikamaru.

"She's right," Kiba said, also glancing back. "Besides, if we're going to attack, isn't it more advantageous if we attack in the dark?"

"To us, the only advantage we have when we attack in the dark is that single moment when we strike," Shikamaru said. "In that moment, the chances of getting Sasuke back, escaping and then getting somewhere far away , are close to nil. If, in that moment, we aren't successful in getting Sasuke back, they will collapse their defense around that barrel. If that happens, we'll be in the dark and unable to do anything. In return, they don't have to make unnecessary movements and that also gives them an advantage."

"Neji's Byuukagan sure would come in handy about now," you muttered.

"Hey, hey, have you forgotten my and Akamaru's nose?" Kiba sounded offended. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"I've already put your sense of smell into my calculations," Shikamaru assured. "Even with that, they'd still have the advantage. Not to mention…If I can't use my technique, there's nothing we can do."

You glanced over your shoulder but Shikamaru's face was hard to make out now in the growing darkness. Did he really believe the four of you couldn't defeat the two of them? You supposed it was possible. Shikamaru's analytic skills were much more advanced than yours.

"Even if I stopped their movement, if the moon was blocked by the clouds, the plan would only be half good. It's troublesome, but there are too many dangerous uncertainties."

You sighed. "He's right. I don't want to lose anyone else."

"But…" Kiba tried to protest.

"Okay," Naruto said, trusting your decisions.

"Naruto?" Kiba glanced behind him at Naruto in surprise.

"You guys are the leaders; I'll follow your orders."

You and Shikamaru glanced at Naruto. It was Shikamaru that spoke. "Yeah. Thanks."

* * *

Morning broke when you finally saw two forms in the distance.

You gasped. "Shikamaru…"

"Yeah, I see them," Shikamaru murmured.

As if they had heard you, the two ninja suddenly stopped. The girl with the magenta-colored hair set the barrel down and her and her companion turned to face your group. The four of you stopped on a tree branch about ten or fifteen feet away.

"What are those morons Jiroubou and Kidoumaru doing?" the girl scoffed.

"We've caught up," Naruto smirked, taking out a kunai.

"Fine, fine. How about taking care of us quickly?" the two-headed ninja smirked.

The ninja leapt towards your group with incredible speed. Naruto threw his kunai but the ninja easily dodged. He put his fingers together in a handseal. Naruto quickly copied and created a clone of himself. As Naruto and his clone worked to gather his chakra for the Resengan, you, Kiba and Shikamaru leapt off of the branch towards your enemy.

To your utter surprise, this ninja was insanely fast. He immediately began punching like the laws of physics didn't apply. It was a constant, unwavering wave of punches. The three of you weren't able to hand a single hit. The ninja's arms were so long you couldn't get close enough.

The ninja knocked the three of you away and continued to Naruto, but no matter. As you all flipped, landing back on the tree branch, Naruto had completed molding his chakra. He leapt off of the branch, readying to ram his Resengan through the ninja.

You gasped when the ninja grabbed Naruto's wrist and held it away. 'He just stopped it!'

As the Resengan disappeared and Naruto looked up at the ninja in pure shock, the ninja smirked. "There's no point if I grab you before you let it out."

'Thank god we have a back-up plan…'

"Kiba, go," you whispered.

Kiba activated his 'fang over fang' and spun right for Naruto and your foe. Kiba smashed right through Naruto, who you knew was actually the clone. The clone poofed away but the ninja ducked. No matter. Shikamaru had gotten the two foes lined up so that Kiba was now headed straight for the girl standing beside Sasuke.

"You think you got us there!?" the two-headed ninja yelled angrily.

To ensure the girl couldn't get away, Shikamaru had left your side and snuck up on her. He stretched his shadow, catching hers before she could run away. She gasped as she realized she was caught.

As Kiba reached the girl, he didn't bother to hit her. Instead, he head straight for the barrel. He grabbed it and then was gone.

"Tayuya! Why are you just staring off into space!?" the two-headed ninja yelled, now on his way to her.

Shikamaru forced her to step forward.

"Why are you stepping forward!?" her companion yelled, still not understanding that she was caught in Shikamaru's jutsu.

The two were headed for a collision course. Their eyes widened when they realized they wouldn't be able to dodge one another. Shikamaru released his jutsu just as the two-headed ninja collided with Tayuya.

Kiba threw the barrel to you. "Here ya go!"

"Nice one, you guys!" you smiled, catching the barrel that contained your teammate.

Holding on tight, you immediately set off for home. Kiba quickly followed you, glancing over his shoulder. "Shikamaru, let's get out of here!"

Shikamaru nodded and followed, leaving your two enemies behind. Something in your ninja subconscious was uneasy about leaving your enemies anything but incapacitated, but you had Sasuke in your arms now and all you could think of was how he was safe and you were on your way home.

"Just as I thought; they were full of openings," Shikamaru smirked. "They have problems even though they have talent."

"Good work you guys," you smiled over your shoulder. "Nice planning Shikamaru. I'm glad I had you to lead with me."

Shikamaru caught up to you, leaving Kiba and Naruto to trail the two of you. "Yeah, it all went according to plan. It just means we were one to two steps ahead of them."

Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's jacket with a mouth full of paper bombs. He hurried in front of your group, placing them strategically.

You didn't have more than ten minutes of peace when you heard: "I won't let you get away!"

You looked over your shoulder. "Shit!"

The two-headed ninja and his female companion were hot on your trail.

"He's fast!" Kiba swore under his breath. At this point, you passed over Akamaru, who barked. "Akamaru! If you're finished placing the traps hurry up!"

Akamaru barked in response but stayed on his branch to watch his trap work. Your foe stepped on a tree branch behind you and the bomb exploded. You glanced over your shoulder to see the tree explode in a yellow flash.

"He did it!" Naruto grinned, stopping.

"Akamaru, good job!" Kiba congratulated as the tree set off a chain reaction and more trees began to burn, spreading fire.

From the smoke that was rising, the enemy ninja jumped up. You cursed, clenching your jaw.

"Quit messing with me!" he screamed, kicking Akamaru and sending him flying onto a different tree branch several feet away on his side.

"Akamaru!" you and Kiba screamed.

But the ninja wasn't finished, from his hand, he shot wire; the kind you were used to Sasuke using. It wrapped around the tree branch several times, and around Akamaru's body, binding him to the tree. The paper bomb right next to Akamaru suddenly sparked.

"Akamaru hold on!" Kiba yelled, headed for his rescue.

Kiba reached Akamaru before your enemy could, but just as did, the bomb exploded, filling the clearing with a yellow flash and grey smoke.

"KIBA!"


	34. Goodbye

"KIBA!" you screamed at the top of your lungs. You set Sasuke down on the branch beside you and moved to take off towards the explosion.

"Nakao, no!" Naruto called out, grabbing you around the waist.

"Let me go!" you yelled, trying to squirm out of his grasp. "Let me go!"

"Nakao, have some sense!" Shikamaru yelled.

You stopped struggling but refused to tear your eyes from the smoky explosion. It reflected in your wide eyes.

Finally, two figures emerged through the smoke. One was your enemy, the other, Kiba who was holding an unconscious Akamaru in his arms. They were hurling…straight towards a crack in the earth. It was about thirty feet wide. How far it went down, you weren't sure because it turned blacked before you could even see if there was a bottom.

"Kiba!" you screamed as the three of them hurtled to their probable death.

Suddenly, you brought your elbow back, striking it into Naruto's gut. He yelled out in pain and released you in surprise. You jumped away from him onto the branch below you. You looked back up to Shikamaru and Naruto.

"I'm sorry! Naruto, please take care of Sasuke-kun," and without waiting for a response, you jumped from your branch feet first into the dark abyss.

You plummeted through the blackness for what felt like minutes. As you fell, the blackness finally gave way and you were suddenly falling towards a rocky ground. The area was completely made out of rock, except for a tree here or there. A river cut through the rocky ground. You landed on your feet at a crouch.

Carefully, you peered around the large boulder you had landed behind. The area seemed creepily quiet and still. So still, in fact, that you were about to emerge from behind your rock, when something suddenly flashed in front of you.

It was Kiba and your enemy. Kiba rushed him, slamming a hand into his neck, but it did no good. Your enemy smirked and twirled around, slamming a fist into Kiba's stomach. Kiba called out and flew into the river about ten feet away. He immediately sat up and then got to his feet, the water up to his ankles. Akamaru barked at him from atop of a rock. His fur was a rust color.

Kiba mumbled something to Akamaru and you watched as the puppy turned into a copy of Kiba. They both rushed their foe and activated their 'fang over fang'. Amazingly, the pair was stopped. Your enemy reached out, taking hold of Kiba's fists. From the back, an upper body copy of your enemy grew and took hold of Akamaru's wrists. Kiba aimed a kick for your enemy's abdomen, but a foot suddenly grew there, blocking Kiba's foot.

"Nani!?" Kiba gasped.

The back head laughed. "Two on two; it's just perfect, isn't it Sakon?"

Your eyes narrowed as you watched behind your boulder. 'Is he talking to himself? Or are they two different people fused together, like twins?'

The upper body attached to the back pulled back a fist and lodged it right into Akamaru's abdomen. He flew back, smashing into a rock. As he did so, he reverted into his dog form and fell to the ground with a whimper.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled.

"Oops, so that one's the real one," the back head smirked, glancing over his shoulder to Kiba.

You watched the front body pull back an arm and you acted. You bolted from your hiding spot, jumping into the air. Just as the arm flew forward, ready to punch Kiba straight in the face, you reached the enemy first. Pulling back a leg, you smashed your foot into the front head.

The ninja flew back, hitting the ground and skidding several feet away. Kiba stumbled backwards as he was released but quickly regained his composure.

"Nakao?" he looked to you in shock as you landed gracefully beside him.

"You didn't really think I'd let you fight by yourself right? You need more than just Akamaru to protect your ass," you smirked, glancing over at your friend.

You saw the emotions in Kiba's face flicker and change several times before you saw a small smile begin to quirk at the sides of his lips. But before he could really show that he was happy to see you, your enemy got to his feet and addressed you.

"So you came down here to die too, huh?" the ninja smirked, cocking his head to crack his neck with a 'pop'.

You glared. Without a single word, your enemy rushed you. He was insanely fast. You gasped as he reached you in seconds, swinging a fist at your head. You dodged out of the way but before you could get far enough away, the ninja grabbed you by the throat.

"We're very close brothers," the ninja began to explain. "Usually my older brother, Ukon, would be sleeping inside me. But sometimes during a battle he'll come out and lend a hand."

You clenched your teeth together. 'So the main operator of the body is Sakon. His brother Ukon lives inside with normally just his head poking out of the back but has a body of his own he can use during a battle…'

"Ukon is able to extend his legs and arms from any part of my body and is able to both attack and defend. Like this," Sakon smirked. From his forehead, a fist appeared and he punched you in the jaw. You grunted in pain.

Kiba growled and rushed your foe with his fist pulled back. Akamaru began to bark from feet away and took off running to help. However, Ukon reached a foot out and kicked Kiba in the stomach. This was accompanied by a kick from each leg from Sakon. Kiba flew backwards, smashing into Akamaru and the two slid back on the ground, eventually smashing into a rock.

"With three times the kicks, it sure hurts, doesn't it?" Sakon smirked.

"K-Kiba!" you choked out, but your throat was still being held by Sakon.

Sakon tightened his grip before throwing you to the side. You smashed into a rock wall and fell onto your face. You groaned, using your arms to push you back up. On your knees, you glanced back to Sakon and gasped.

Ukon's head was no longer identical to Sakon's, it had transformed. His skin was a pure scarlet color, his face as well as the whole body. His eyes were now black and the iris was a deep yellow. His hair had turned a snowy white and hung to his shoulders. His teeth were replaced with fangs nearly too big from his mouth. A horn the same color as his skin jutted from his forehead like some kind of demon-unicorn.

"Let's end this quickly," Ukon said. "Use level two."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakon agreed. He activated his cursemark and it glowed a bright orange/red color. It spread across his face and the color flashed. When it finished, Sakon's head now looked identical to Ukon's. Now the heads sat side by side.

Kiba sat many feet away from you, panting. Akamaru lay beside him looking exhausted.

"How do you like it, brother?" Sakon asked. He was on the left.

"In bits and pieces."

Akamaru barked.

"Nani? Are you suggesting we should do that?" Kiba asked, surprised as he glanced over at Akamaru.

You gritted your teeth together. You needed to get to Kiba, but your foe stood in front of you, though he was facing Kiba. You tried to analyze Sakon/Ukon. Did any new powers come with this transformation? Their power-level had certainly increased, you could feel that. 'Kuso…'

Akamaru barked.

"Akamaru, we can't!" Kiba insisted. "Doing it here, without our other teammates around, is too dangerous! You know that, don't you? If we were to use that technique, it will use up most of our chakra, and we won't be able to move. If we were to miss, we'd die in vain."

Akamaru growled in aggravation before biting Kiba in the hand.

"Akamaru…"

From in front of you, Sakon took off running towards Kiba. Akamaru jumped in front, ready to protect his master.

"Kiba!" you jumped to your feet, but Sakon was quick.

He met Kiba and Akamaru. Akamaru jumped at Sakon but he missed and flew past him. Sakon smashed a fist into Kiba's face, and then in his stomach. Blood squirted from Kiba's mouth as he slouched forward over Sakon's fist. The force had been so much Kiba's hood and fallen back, revealing his head of shaggy, brown hair.

Kiba only smirked and grabbed Sakon's arm. "Now, Akamaru!"

Akamaru barked and jumped up and over Sakon from behind his back. He began to spray like a normal dog might over everything, including your enemy. He then began to spin rapidly in the air, which increased the number of things he marked.

"How dare you do such disgusting things!" Sakon growled, pushing away from Kiba. Kiba stumbled backwards.

You watched Akamaru with your jaw hanging open. You had never seen this move.

Kiba jumped into the air and Akamaru landed on his head. Kiba put his fingers into a seal and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. What reappeared made you gasped. It was a giant, two-headed Akamaru! He was taller than buildings! His paws along could squash you like a bug. His claws were the same length as your body.

The new Akamaru growled. His teeth were large and pointy and his eyes were red. Drool dripped from his mouth and onto the ground.

Sakon chuckled. "I thought something interesting had arrived but it's just a wild, drooling beast."

"What can this thing do?" Ukon said, obviously doubting he could do anything.

Akamaru jumped in the air and began to spin rapidly. The move basically mimicked his 'fang over fang' but it was one big twister. It came smashing down at Sakon, but he jumped just in time. As he landed, he realized that he had landed in the puddle of saliva that had dripped from Akamaru's mouth moments before. He then quickly realized that he was stuck, like the saliva was glue.

"Shit!"

The giant twister plowed into Sakon, pushing him back twenty or so feet. He finally fell to the ground, motionless as Akamaru came to a stop closer near you. But as the large beast looked on in triumph, Sakon's body began to change.

When Kiba and Akamaru had plowed into Sakon, it had ripped the body in half and into two separate pieces. From the open sides of the body, a new half of the body began to reform. Instead of returning to how it was, however, Sakon and Ukon reformed arms and legs made out of was looked like black stone. They were now each a separate being.

"Now you've gone too far," Sakon said, getting to his feet.

"Perfect. I was thinking we should split up and fight," Ukon said, also standing up. "It's true that if we had gotten hit by that head on, it would have been quite damaging."

You gaped at the pair in horror. The large beast in front of you growled but the legs began to shake. Regardless, it used the technique again, swirling towards the brothers. They jumped apart, each hiding behind a rock. You seemed to be completely forgotten. The beast had obviously missed but it turned around like a boomerang and swirled towards one of the brothers.

Realization hit you. 'Oh, I see! No doubt Kiba and Akamaru cannot see with this jutsu, but that's what the marking was for! Akamaru was marking him with his scent so they could find him when they lost their sight! Genius!'

But before they could hit, the two brothers bite their thumbs to draw blood. With it, they scribbled summoning jutsus on the ground. The ground cracked apart and a giant wall in the shape of a monster rose up, the size of which made Kiba's and Akamaru's beast look like a puppy. They smashed into the wall hard enough to cause a dent, but then they began to fall.

"Now, time to end this!" the brothers yelled, jumping up at the same time towards the beast.

"Kiba!" you screamed, whipping out handsigns.

Wind flew from your pores so quick it actually sliced your skin and small cuts began to appear on your arms. But you didn't slow the wind down. You rushed the wind at the brothers.

Sakon screamed in pain and immediately fell back down to the ground. Ukon must have blocked the wind from getting to his eyes and punched Akamaru in the face so hard he crashed to the ground. Sakon screamed, clutching at his eyes.

"My eyes! They burn! I can't see!" he screamed out.

Kiba landed at a crouch on the ground. You cut off your wind and glanced about yourself. 'Where's the other one?'

"Looking for me?"

Your blood ran cold as you followed the voice. Kiba was gaping in shock, for Ukon had become Kiba's right side of the body. Ukon's head and upper body then flowed around, coming out of Kiba's back instead. Ukon smirked and grabbed Kiba's arm, twisting it around his throat. Sakon, meanwhile, ran off to the river to try and heal his eyes.

"This is my special assassin's ability. Even with that nose and brain of yours, you will not be able to win against me. You know that the flow of chakra surrounds every single organ. The flow of chakra is deeply interconnected wih organs and cells that create tissue. In those cells are the proteins that make up the matter of life and death. And when I am at level two, I am able to use chakra to split up and reconstruct those proteins. Simply speaking, I can break up my body into pieces, get into enemies bodies, then reconstruct myself."

Your eyes shook with fear. With Ukon stationed inside Kiba's body, you could not attack him! Not without seriously hurting Kiba. But if you didn't do something…you gritted your teeth together.

"My cells are roaming freely in your body and I can isolate a portion that is only you. That means it's a state of fusion. I guess you could say we're sharing the same body."

"Sh-Sharing?" Kiba did his best to glance over his shoulder to Ukon.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "And a kind of brutal killing that I can do is tearing off cells that belong to you."

"I see. In that case…" Kiba reached behind him, pulling out a kunai. He brought it out with his free hand and, without hesitation, stabbed it into his abdomen.

Your vision turned black and white as blood immediately began to soak Kiba's gray jacket. Your hearing was cutting in and out and it took you a moment to realize you were screaming.

"_KIBA_!" you screamed.

Kiba only tried to dig the kunai further inside. "If I do this, I wonder what will happen?"

Blood began to leak from Ukon's mouth. "Suicide!? What a fool!"

"Let's die together," Kiba smirked, glancing over his shoulder to Ukon. Blood also leaked from his mouth.

Ukon and Kiba cried out together as Kiba pushed the kunai in harder.

"You bastard! What are you thinking!?" Ukon cried out in pain.

Slowly, shakily, Kiba turned his head forward once more. His eyes rested on you. Your mouth was hanging open, your eyes wide.

"Nakao…I'm…sorry," Kiba tried to smile but he coughed out blood.

Your cheeks were wet and you vaguely realized tears were streaming down your face. They fell to the ground, creating splotches at your feet.

"K-Kiba…" you croaked.

"Don't cry, Nakao; I hate it when you cry," Kiba winced in pain but carried on. "I need you to take care of Akamaru. Get him out of here."

Your eyes filled with tears until you shut your eyes and they flowed down your cheeks, mixing with the other tears. You shook your head. "No! You idiot! You can't die on me!"

"It's…too late…"

You slowly opened your eyes, resting them on Kiba. You could barely make out his form, your eyes were so blurry from tears. Your knees suddenly buckled and you fell to the ground on them. Your arms hung uselessly at your sides as you shook.

_"I'm Kiba, and this is Akamaru."_

_The white-furred puppy barked at you. You glanced from him to Kiba. "I'm Nakao."_

_"You should smile! I'm so excited! I just got transferred to this class."_

**_"Well…I could be your Prince Charming," Kiba offered shyly, scratching at his cheek._**

**_You turned your head to him and smiled. You used your other hand to point an index finger at him. "But you don't have a white horse."_**

**_Kiba's face twisted in concentration for a minute before he brightened, grinning. "I have Akamaru!"_**

**_You giggled. "Alright, Prince Charming. Just don't take forever getting to my tower; I get bored easily."_**

_"Shut up you flat-chested stalker!"_

_"You shut up, Nakao!"_

_"You started this! What is your problem!?"_

_"You're my problem!"_

_"Woah, woah, okay that's enough," Kiba suddenly cut between you and Sakura._

_You were in the academy court yard and you and Sakura had attracted a large crowd of your classmates around you. You had been minding your own business but Sakura could never leave you be; she just always had to pick a fight._

_"You're never going to be worthy of the title kunochi," you practically spat at her over Kiba's shoulder. He was currently trying to push you away from Sakura. "You'll be lucky if you ever get your headband!"_

_Sakura snarled but was not quick enough to reply. Kiba finally succeeded in moving you and he pushed you away from Sakura and through the throng of students that had been hoping for a fight. When you were on the other side of the courtyard, Kiba sighed._

_"Don't give me that look, she started it!" you glared._

_"I know. But she's not even worth it," Kiba tried._

_"You're right," you crossed your arms. "She'll never be a good enough shinobi."_

_"Even if she was, she'd still never be able to beat you," Kiba said._

_You smirked, shrugging. "Yeah, I know. I'm invincible."_

_"You're not invincible," Kiba said seriously._

_"Thanks for the confidence," you muttered at him sourly._

_"You're not invincible, but you will never be killed in action."_

_"What? Why?"_

_Kiba grinned. "Because, if you're with me, I will never let anyone hurt you."_

You suddenly let out a sob, hanging your head. You thought you could feel your heart breaking. Your shoulders heaved up and down as you began to sob. Tears fell onto your trembling lips; they tasted like salt.

"Are you suffering?" Kiba smirked, turning his attention from you and back to Ukon. "Then let's end this!"

Kiba brought back his blood-stained kunai.

"You fool! Stop with the stabbing!" Ukon yelled.

"Too late!" Kiba yelled, driving the kunai into his abdomen.

The moment before the tip dug inside, Ukon managed to pull himself out, falling onto the ground behind Kiba and escaping certain peril.

Kiba cried out in pain and slumped forward. His previously-occupied arm held him up as red blood dripped from his wound and onto the ground. Blood ran down his chin. Ukon too, although he had separated from Kiba, had a gaping wound in his abdomen that began to ooze blood.

Kiba shakily pulled the kunai from his abdomen and pivoted, throwing it at Ukon. Ukon held up his arm and the kunai dug itself into it instead of his face. Kiba then tossed two smoke bombs at Ukon, completely engulfing him in purple smoke.

You wasted no time. You jumped to your feet, letting the tears dry on your face. You rushed over to Kiba, who was struggling to stand. Wrapping his arm around your neck, you practically dragged him towards Akamaru. You carefully kneeled and Kiba scooped him up, carrying him with his free arm.

You rushed Kiba and Akamaru from the immediate area. You got them further away down the river, hopefully a safe distance away from your enemy. You set them down beside the river, leaning them against a rock. As Kiba panted, you put your hand over his freely bleeding wound, using your other to fumble around in the pouch around your waist for a roll of bandages.

"Nakao…" he tried.

"Shut up!" you immediately cut him off, face screwed up in concentration. You finally found your bandages and unzipped Kiba's jacket. You quickly began to wrap the wound over his shirt, for it was a tight, muscle shirt that you hadn't the time to pry off.

While you were busy with Kiba, he glanced down at Akamaru who lay beside him. He gently petted his head. He was still unconscious, but breathing. There was a small smile on Kiba's face, for he was clearly glad Akamaru was still alive.

As you were bandaging, Kiba suddenly grunted in pain and his face contorted in agony. You gasped as blood began to quickly seep through the bandages.

"No, no, no!" you panicked, fumbling to quickly keep wrapping it.

"Nakao…" Kiba closed his eyes. "Stop it."

"Shut up!" you yelled again, but your voice broke and quivered. Tears sprang from your eyes as you realized the bandages were only continuing to soak with blood. Your roll finally ran out and, angrily, you threw the empty tube away. "Kuso!"

"Nakao…you need to leave."

"Huh?" you glanced up to Kiba. He slowly peeled open his eyes to look at you.

"Go find Sasuke and whatever teammates are left. There was still another enemy, which means there's only one person to get Sasuke home safely," Kiba winced again. "And if it's Naruto, he's screwed."

"Are you mental? I'm not going to leave you!" you said defiantly.

"Sasuke needs you," Kiba insisted calmly.

"_You _need me!"

"Sasuke needs you more, and you need him. You can't lose him, Nakao."

You could only sit in front of Kiba, your shoulders shaking. Tears streamed down your face again.

"I…I can't lose you either," you whispered, tears dropping to the ground.

"Please, Nakao, go. I'll…" he winced in pain. "I'll catch up with you later."

You hiccupped and rubbed at your eyes with the heel of your palm. "You're so full of shit."

"Go. That guy is wounded too. I have enough energy to finish him off. If all else fails, I'll escape into the river."

"But I can defeat-!"

"And waste valuable time. Go Nakao."

You watched Kiba with shaking eyes. You blinked away welling tears before you leaned in, carefully wrapping Kiba in a hug. You hugged his neck with your arms, pushing your cheek against his. You felt Kiba maneuver his head to plant a kiss on your forehead. You placed one on his cheek before pulling away. You wanted to savor this moment, keep his scent in your memory in case…in case you never saw him again. But his scent was overpowered by blood.

"Promise me you'll escape Kiba…Promise me."

Kiba watched you sadly. He moved his lips, like he was going to say something, but then he stopped. He slowly shook his head before looking back to you.

"Go. Bring Sasuke back to Konoha…and don't let him out of your sight," Kiba shakily held a hand out.

You took it into yours, squeezing it. His hand was clammy and cold. Yours was stained crimson. Several more tears slipped down your face before you brought the back of your other hand to your eyes, wiping at them.

"Goodbye, Kiba…" you said quietly, afraid you'd burst into more tears if you spoke any louder.

"Goodbye, Nakao…" Kiba said with the smallest smile.

Reluctantly, you gave Kiba's hand one more squeeze before letting go. You got to your feet, ripping your gaze from him and scaling up the rock wall that would bring you back to Sasuke.

* * *

You finally caught up to Sasuke. The forest gave way to a river that ran off of a huge cliff as a waterfall. Two, large, stone statues stood on either side of the river. They appeared to be facing one another in battle. One you recognized as the first Hokage. The other one you did not know.

You found Sasuke with Naruto. Naruto was lying on his back on the rocky ground. Sasuke was on his knees by Naruto's head. His face was bent over Naruto's. Naruto's eyes were closed but Sasuke was solemnly looking down at him. His black bangs curtained his face. There was blood at Sasuke's knees. Beside Naruto's head was a headband with a scratch across the Leaf insignia. Sasuke's headband was missing from his forehead.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke slowly stood and looked over in your direction. You stood, bangs beginning to fall into your eyes, for it had begun to rain. Sasuke looked tired. Bags were under his onyx-colored eyes. His skin was covered with cuts and scrapes. His right hand was grasping his upper, left arm.

Your eyes slipped down to Naruto. He was definitely unconscious but still alive. His chest was still gently moving up and down. Your eyes moved back up to Sasuke.

"You're here too?" Sasuke finally said with little fanfare.

"What are you doing?" you whispered sadly.

"Go home, Nakao," Sasuke said bluntly.

"What did you do to Naruto?"

Sasuke watched you a moment before answering. "We settled our rivalry."

You watched him sadly.

"Go home, Nakao," Sasuke said again.

"No," you glared, moving closer. "Not after all I had to go through to get here."

You subconsciously wiped your hands on your pants. Flecks of Kiba's blood fell off.

"I'm not going back to Konoha, Nakao," Sasuke stated.

"Why!?" you demanded, fists clenching at your sides.

"I cannot get the power I need there."

"So you're going to that fork-tongued bastard!?"

"There are too many distractions in Konoha," Sasuke insisted calmly.

"What distractions!?" you could feel the crushing despair beginning to arise in your chest.

Sasuke looked away from you. It was quiet aside from the rushing sound of the waterfall and the raindrops gently dropping into the river.

"Look at me," you demanded hoarsely.

Slowly, Sasuke did. You stared directly into his eyes.

"Please, Sasuke, come home," you all but begged.

"I've tried to picture my life in Konoha- with the rest of you. But I am different from you. That is not my path."

"That's a bunch of bullshit!" you choked. Tears were stinging the back of your eyes as you tried to keep your chin from trembling.

Sasuke only stared at you. The cold rain was raising goose bumps on your skin.

"Nakao…come here," Sasuke finally said quietly.

Your feet moved before you directed them to do so. You suddenly found yourself standing only inches away from Sasuke. He stared down at you and you up at him.

"Please Sasuke-kun, come home with me…" there were tears forming in the corner of your eyes. You blinked and a single tear ran down your cheek.

"I cannot go back."

Your eyes hardened. "I wasn't asking."

You moved to make handsigns for your Arashi Kamekaze, but you never formed them. Sasuke's hands whipped out, grabbing your wrists. You gasped, moving your lips to speak as you jerked your head up, but Sasuke cut you off. Sasuke's head bowed and he pushed his lips into yours.

Your eyes widened.

Your world suddenly froze. Your chest tightened like you had lost all the air in your lungs. As if he had literally stole it from you. You could feel everything about the moment; how soft his lips were, his nose gently brushing against your skin, the goose bumps everywhere on your body. Your wide eyes began to close and remained half-lidded.

Something felt right about this moment. This is how things were supposed to be. How they always _should _have been. Your parents should still be alive, Keitaro should still be alive, Sasuke's clan should still be alive and you and Sasuke should have been together. But right now, that was all okay. It was okay. Because he was with you now…

Something pierced your abdomen.

You gasped against Sasuke's lips, surprised. Your eyelids snapped open. You felt _pain_.

Shakily, your eyes found Sasuke's. He lifted his head and stared down at you.

"S-Sasuke…?"

Sasuke brought one hand up and removed some stray hair from your eyes.

"I'm sorry, Nakao. Thank you."

You gaped up at the boy. You slowly began to feel that something was inside your abdomen. It _hurt_.

Sasuke pulled his weapon from your abdomen. You gasped in pain as you felt every second of it being slid out. It sliced at your insides. And then it was out.

Your hands grasped for your wound. Blood was already soaking through your shirt and vest. It was warm. There was so much of it.

You fell to your knees.

How could this be happening? You were losing your two best friends in the course of only a few hours. You had failed. You had failed your first mission as a Chuunin. You had failed Konoha. You had failed your team and your friends.

Maybe you wouldn't live to face this. Maybe this wound was going to kill you. You weren't even upset with Sasuke. You thought nothing of him trying to kill you. It would be easier this way. Then you wouldn't have to live with the fact that Sasuke was gone…and you had just let him go. Given in to your weakness and allowed your heart to jeopardize everything. You didn't deserve the title kunoichi.

You were suddenly overcome with dizziness. You swayed before falling face first to the ground. It didn't even hurt when your chin smashed into the ground. From in front of you, you felt Sasuke's presence leave.

Your heart yearned for him to stay. His leaving was causing emptiness in your heart that you had never felt before. Not when your parents had died. Not when Keitaro had died. You wanted to scream, you wanted to tell him that you…you loved him in a way that you couldn't even understand. In a way that you had never loved anyone else. But your throat was dry. Instead, tears began to slip down your face, soaking the ground.

Your lips were tingling, your wound searing and your heart was shattering as you heard Sasuke's footsteps fade into the distance. You couldn't stop him…you were too weak. This was it…the end. This is what it felt like to lose everything.

Your eyelids flickered shut.

_"Friends…I promise."_


	35. Two and a Half Years Later

_Knock. Knock_.

You moaned, face sunk into your pillow.

_Knock. Knock_.

Probably one of Tsunade's aides sent to fetch you. You had just gotten back from a mission only a couple of days ago. No rest for the weary apparently.

Grumbling, you turned your head to peer at the alarm clock sitting on your nightstand. You read the red numbers through your bangs. **11:45**.You groaned as you heard the knocking again.

By the time you had slipped out of bed, wearing a long t-shirt, your long, dark brown hair hanging loose to your tail bone, and made your way into the living room, the knocking on your door was continuous and loud. A male voice was yelling your name through the door.

"Nakao! Nakao! Nak-" you threw the door open, "-ao…"

Crossing your arms, you glared at the boy standing before you. His fist was still raised, as it had been poised to rap on your door. He stood taller than you and looked down at you with coffee-colored eyes. His mop of brown hair was held up by his headband. His furry, white-haired companion stood behind him, standing as tall as the boy's waist.

"What, Kiba?" you asked, not concealing the fact that you were annoyed.

"You're still sleeping?" Kiba raised an eyebrow but he didn't wait for your response since finding you sleeping well into the afternoon was more or less the norm. He quickly reverted to his previous demeanor and a sparkle glimmered in his eyes. "I've got a surprise for you."

"What?" you asked skeptically, arms still crossed and leaning against the doorframe.

Kiba grinned slyly, his canine teeth slipping out. "Get dressed and I'll show you."

You groaned in aggravation, threw your arms up in the air to relay your frustration, then slammed the door in Kiba's face. Ten minutes later, you reopened the door, fully dressed for the day.

You gave him a pointed stare with your plum-shaded eyes before sliding past him, closing the door behind you. "Let's go."

You could feel Kiba smirking behind your back.

* * *

Kiba led you through the village for a good fifteen minutes. Your housewason a more desolate side of town and it appeared as though he was leading you towards the heart of town. Neither of you spoke and you were still slightly irritated, arms crossed over your chest. Akamaru padded along beside Kiba quietly.

"Are we almost there?" you asked, annoyed as you squeezed past villagers during the hustle of the afternoon market. Someone shouldered you and you shot a glare in their direction that was unseen in their haste.

Kiba did not respond, for he was constantly glancing around. You eyed his back suspiciously. Had he lost what he had wanted to show you? Was it gone now? Just as you were about to voice your thoughts in a very angry manner, Kiba came to a sudden halt.

"Aha!" he grinned.

You looked at him quizzically before following his gaze. Your reaction was not immediate. At first, you could only stare, lips parting slightly. Your arms slowly fell to your sides. Kiba seemed to be watching you with sly interest but you hardly paid attention. Finally, as the initial shock wore off, your eyes lit up and a smile broke out over your face.

"Naruto!" you breathed.

The boy was standing only ten feet from you, on the side road before you. No villagers were bustling about on that road and only a wooden fence and a couple people stood beside him. These two people were Sakura and Jiraiya, who had been the one who had taken Naruto away from Konoha to train these past couple of years. Kakashi-sensei stood a little in the background, a book in his hand that he only seemed partially focused on. Naruto still looked the same, just slightly older. He was still wearing an orange track suit, but this one was orange and black. Kind of an improvement? It was up for debate.

As the blonde turned his sky-blue eyes on you at the sound of his name, you were already rushing him. You flung your arms around his neck, giving him a squeeze. He had gotten taller. You let go, stepping away smiling.

Naruto looked very confused while his eyes searched you. After a moment, his eyes lit up and a grin broke out over his face. "Nakao!"

You giggled, staring slightly down at him. You were probably still a good two inches taller than the boy. "Do I look _that _different?"

"You…uh…uh," Naruto was flustered. A blush spread over his cheeks.

"You've gotten taller," you noted, eyeing the boy carefully and sparing him a response. "I mean, barely, but still."

Naruto grinned, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Naruto!"

"Huh?" you all glanced over to see the new arrival.

"Sexy no jutsu!" there was a poof of smoke and then standing in its place was a naked woman. Wisps of smoke covered her breasts and privet areas. Her hair was short and black and she winked in Naruto's direction.

"Oh ho ho!" Jiraiya practically drooled. He was such a perv. Probably a bad influence on Naruto.

The woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke and in her place stood Konohamaru. He was grinning. "How was that!? A real drool of a jutsu huh!"

"Konohamaru, I'm sorry but I'm not a kid anymore. From now on, you shouldn't use that jutsu either," Naruto said seriously.

From beside Naruto, Sakura blushed, holding a hand to her heart. You, on the other hand, watched Naruto skeptically. You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Such a jutsu is now mediocre, Konohamaru! Behold the new perverted ninjutsu I've been developing! Here we goooo!" Naruto yelled, moving to show off his new jutsu.

You sweatdropped. That sounded right. You knew Naruto couldn't have changed _that _much.

"You idiot!" Sakura screamed, punching Naruto across the face.

Blood flew from Naruto's nose as he flew back, smacking onto the ground.

"I was wrong! You haven't changed one bit! I haven't seen you in two years and within two minutes, you jump straight into that! Idiot!" Sakura yelled down at Naruto. Naruto groaned from his new spot on the hard ground.

"Sakura hasn't changed a bit either," you shot her a glare and offered a hand to Naruto, pulling him to his feet. "She's still a total bitch."

Sakura glared daggers at you.

The two of you still didn't get along. You rarely talked for that matter. She was Tsunade's apprentice, practicing medicine, so she was a constant fixture in Tsunade's office. But whenever you were in her office receiving a mission, you never even bid Sakura a hello. A stranger would never have guessed you had once gone through life and death situations together.

Naruto glanced between the two of you uncomfortably.

"None of you have changed," Kiba imputed from a few feet away, rolling his eyes. Akamaru, sitting next to him, made a sound in his throat that sounded an awful lot like an agreement.

You glared over sourly.

"Makase Nakao!"

You all glanced over to see a Chuunin running up to you. He was scrawny and nervous but very bright and stealthy. He was often an aide for Tsunade.

"Nakao, the Hokage summons you," he said once he had come to a stop before you. He took a breath of air. "Another mission."

"Woah, Nakao, are you a jounin!?" Naruto turned to you incredulously.

"Eh, more of an _honorary _jounin," you shrugged.

The Chuunin turned to Kiba. "Inuzuka Kiba, you're being summoned too."

You and Kiba glanced at one another.

You turned back to Naruto. "We'll have to fight sometime. We have to check that you've been doing something these past two and a half years."

You winked. Naruto grinned. "Yeah!"

You motioned to Kiba with your head and the two of you were off.

* * *

You knocked on the wooden door, but without waiting for a reply, you walked right into the Hokage's office. Kiba and Akamaru cautiously followed. No one just walked into Tsunade's office. Well, no one except for you.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk when you arrived. Shizune, as usual, was standing just behind her and to her right. The pair had long ceased to be surprised with your rudeness. Shizune only raised her head as you walked in.

"Tsunade-sama," you greeted as you and Kiba came to a stop before her.

Tsunade, her head bowed and gaze cast downward at the papers before her, did not bother to look up at you. There was a pen in her hand and she was feverishly scribbling something. She only nodded her head to signal she acknowledged your presence. Her attention still diverted, Tsunade picked up a scroll that had been lying next to her right elbow and held it out to you. You took two steps forward, taking the scroll. Tsunade retracted her arm and immediately used it to grab another document while she sign the paper currently in front of her.

Kiba stepped up behind you and you unraveled the scroll. Kiba read over your shoulder as you carefully scanned the B-ranked mission.

"There have been disturbances reported just a little outside of the gates. Mostly things like dead animals and cut markings on the trees," Tsunade said, setting down her pen and finally pushing aside the paper she had been studying and turning her attention to you and Kiba.

"Enemies?" you asked, rerolling the scroll and pocketing it in the pouch around your waist.

"Maybe. It's important to check it out regardless."

"Alright," you nodded. "What should we do if we find any enemies?"

"Should you find nothing, simply report back to me. Bring any clues if you find some. If you do run into enemies, it's your call, Nakao. Try and bring them back here alive; I'd like to find out what they're doing. If you find it necessary for your survival to kill them, however, you have my authorization to use lethal force," Tsunade said.

"Understood," you nodded. But that outcome was very unlikely. Someone who left such obvious clues about was probably not a threat.

Tsunade's eyes slipped over to Kiba and he nodded. "Hai."

"Okay Kiba, let's go," you said, turning on your heel.

"Nakao," Tsunade said expectantly.

You stopped in your tracks, your back to Tsunade. Kiba stopped too but looked back to Tsunade with confusion.

"My records say you owe me money."

You groaned, turning to face Tsunade, exasperated. You shrugged widely. "But I don't have any money."

"No problem," a sly smile slipped onto Tsunade's pink lips. She grabbed a pen and jotted something down on a piece of paper beside her. "I'll just take the money you'd be making with this mission."

You glared but could say nothing. You turned on your heel once more, briskly leaving the room. Kiba scurried after you, closing the doors behind you.

"You gambled away all your money _again_?" Kiba glanced sideways at you. Akamaru barked softly, as if also portraying his disappointment.

"Spare me your lecture; they bore me," you said, waving a hand airily.

Kiba sighed, rolling his eyes.

* * *

"Looks like the reports were accurate, come look at these marks," you indicated with your head.

You and Kiba were in the forests outside of the village gates. As Tsunade had told you, there were cut marks on the tree; almost like someone had just been randomly chopping at the bark of the trees. You stood in front of a tree, fingers skimming across the bark. There was a large X carved into the tree, carelessly so, almost like it was out of boredom.

Kiba walked up beside you, glancing over your shoulder. "Do you really think an enemy did this?"

You shrugged, dropping your hand back to your side. "I don't know. I suppose it's possible. I don't know if_ I _would have alerted the Hokage about it though. I mean, it's not even really vandalism. I have a hard time believing we're going to be infiltrated."

You turned back around to face Kiba. He only shrugged. He seemed distracted about something. He was staring intensely at the X on the tree trunk but did not seem to be really seeing it.

You only sighed. "Let's keep looking around."

You turned your back on Kiba, walking away. You continued to follow the trail of the markings. You suddenly felt like Gretel. But perhaps they would lead you to an answer. However, after only a minute, the markings stopped. You glanced about curiously. You didn't see a cave or any sign of a shelter where an enemy would be hiding.

'Hmm, maybe it wasn't an enemy after all…'

Still, you continue to peer around, eyes scanning everything they could find. You hadn't seen any dead animals. Besides, things died in the wild all the time. Maybe if they were clearly hacked to pieces with something ritualistic like a heart missing or something, you'd be more inclined to search further for an enemy.

"You know, Nakao…seeing Naruto today made me think about something," Kiba suddenly said slowly.

He was behind you and you didn't turn to look at him. You only continued to look about yourself, mind set on the mission at hand. "Hmm?"

"We're not kids anymore, Nakao."

This stopped you. Confused, you turned to face your friend. He had stopped and was standing arms to his sides, his eyes completely vulnerable.

"Nakao…" he said softly, taking a step towards you.

Goose bumps immediately rose on your skin. You felt your eyes nearly quivering. A nauseas feeling settled in your stomach. You did **not **like where this seemed to be heading.

"Don't you remember when we were kids? You've been so alone…for so long."

_Kiba rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat. "You don't need to lie, Nakao. All the girls like Sasuke."_

_You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. "Every girl but me."_

_Kiba glanced back down to Sasuke. "Why do all the girls like him?"_

_You blinked then glanced down as well. "I don't know; he's their Prince Charming I guess."_

_"Prince Charming? Like, from the fairytales?" Kiba asked, confused._

_"Yeah," you nodded._

_"So…is Sasuke your Prince Charming too?" Kiba asked cautiously._

_You sighed and replaced your chin on your palm, elbow on the desk. "No. I guess I don't have a Prince Charming."_

_Silence overtook the two of you for a long moment. All the while, you kept your eyes trained on the mob of girls trying desperately to catch Sasuke's attention. You only glanced away when Kiba began to speak._

_"Well…I could be your Prince Charming," Kiba offered shyly, scratching at his cheek._

_You turned your head to him and smiled. You used your other hand to point an index finger at him. "But you don't have a white horse."_

_Kiba's face twisted in concentration for a minute before he brightened, grinning. "I have Akamaru!"_

_You giggled. "Alright, Prince Charming. Just don't take forever getting to my tower; I get bored easily."_

You blushed, quickly growing flustered. "Kiba, I-"

"I love you, Nakao; I always have," Kiba admitted quietly. It was like a flood gate had suddenly burst open. He was looking into your eyes; his were pleading with you. "You must have known."

"I…" but you trailed off. You were watching Kiba with wide eyes. You really _hadn't _known. Kiba had just always been…how he was. Loving and caring to you.

"I can't be just your best friend anymore," Kiba continued. He closed the distance between you.

Goose bumps arose on your skin. No, this couldn't be! Your best friend was in love with you; when did that happen!?

As Kiba stared at you with longing eyes, you felt your heart sink. You didn't feel that way about Kiba. But how could you tell him that? You didn't want to break his heart. What if it ended your friendship? Oh why did he do this to you? Had he assumed you reciprocated his feelings? Had you led him on somehow? You couldn't imagine what had possibly given him that idea. Had you not made your feelings very clear several years ago?

"Are you going to say anything?" Kiba asked, his eyes searching your face. You hoped he couldn't see the horror in your eyes.

"Kiba…" you started hoarsely, but didn't get to finish.

Kiba's hands grabbed your shoulders and he tugged you towards him. Your eyes were wide and shaking as Kiba's lips crashed into yours. It was passionate, but all you felt was dread.

Kiba tasted of spearmint. His lips were clumsy but unrelenting. With your eyes wide open, you could see that his were closed. His eyelashes danced against the skin of his cheeks. You could feel his brown hair mixing with yours.

Your heart was beating at two-hundred beats a minute. You stood rigid. What were you supposed to do? How long was this going to go on? You felt like it had been a full minute and still, Kiba showed no sign of letting you go. It was like he was pouring everything into this single display of affection. All these past years of the love you had not known he harbored.

Finally, Kiba broke away. He only pulled back and kept his hands on your shoulders. He was breathing heavily, his cheeks tinted with pink. You could practically see a sparkle in his eyes. They searched yours relentlessly.

You, too, were breathless. You could only stare at Kiba, your mouth still in the position he had placed it in. Your eyes were still wide but they had stopped shaking. You needed to push the horror out of them. Needed to stop the nervous sweat you could feel forming at your hairline. But you couldn't, not quickly enough. Kiba had seen it.

Kiba eyes softened worriedly. "Nakao…?"

You blinked and glanced away from Kiba. You took a step back, away from his hands and put a gloved hand to your head. You suddenly felt sickly dizzy.

"Nakao…I-" he sounded sad now.

Desperately, you glanced up to Kiba. His face nearly killed you. It was filled with raw grief. Kiba was no fool. He could see the denial in your eyes. You grasped for the words in your mind, but none would come. Your lips didn't even move. No words were there to form silent lip gestures.

"Kiba…" you finally started softly.

But whatever you were going to say next, died on your lips. For Kiba's facial expression changed in a split seconds and his eyes were suddenly wide with alarm.

"Nakao!" he yelled in warning, peering over your shoulder. Akamaru suddenly growled; you'd forgotten he was there.

You spun around, not knowing what to expect. You should have expected the unexpected. You gasped.

A pair of crimson-shaded eyes infiltrated your vision. Your eyes were wide and there was no chance to glance away before you were under their spell.

Your vision began to grow hazy and you felt your knees buckling. Those crimson eyes were the last color you saw before your vision was completely overtaken by blackness.


End file.
